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by bluekujira



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Awkwardness, Beta Mattie, Completed, Cowboy AU, Fem Canada, Fluff, M/M, NSFW in later chapters, Omega Arthur, Omega Verse, a dash of peter (sealand) mention, alpha alfred, farm au, kinda? found family, multichaptered fanfiction, slow start fic kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 20:20:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 62,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14088900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluekujira/pseuds/bluekujira
Summary: This is a multichaptered fic I wrote back a while ago on Tumblr. I'm now going to post it here on AO3.Summary: After meeting Alfred on an online site for omegas and alphas to find a mate, Arthur decides to make a trip to America to find out if Alfred really is the right mate for him, and if Alfred will think Arthur is the right one too.Warnings: This will be a slow start fic kinda. In later chapters there will be NSFW content but for now just expect fluff and awkwardness.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't rechecked any of this for errors or mistakes- I can't bring myself to reread my own writing without crying so apologies for any mistakes. Enjoy. : )

When you tell your friends and family you’re crossing the Atlantic ocean to stay with someone you’ve never met before and only talked to through an online site, a good majority of them don’t take it too well. At least, that is what Arthur had come to realize soon enough. His mother had fussed over him with motherly concern and hesitance, asking Arthur if he preferred to try to find someone perhaps living in England, his father had asked to see this website to check its credibility, and his friends had crawled from the woodwork with blind dates they’d never offered to him before. He politely declined everyone while simultaneously reassuring his parents he was not off to live with a murderer.

Perhaps reassuring them that he would not be staying with a single alpha alone in his home, and informing them that said alpha’s family would be living there too eased them into considering letting him leave the country. With a stubbornness and determination that was odd for an omega to possess, Alfred slowly gained the vote of each of his brothers and then finally of his parents to allow him to do this.

“What’s his name?” Peter asked.

“Alfred F. Jones,” Arthur responded, feeling strange saying the name aloud. He’d kept this a secret from everyone for a while now.

“Alfred starts with A, just like your name Artie,” Peter quipped, smiling up at Arthur.

He carded his hand through the young boy’s hair before pulling him into a tight hug, much to Peter’s resistance. Arthur was most of all fond of his younger brother, perhaps because he felt a need to spoil the boy rotten. He was going to miss him when he was out of the country, but he’d made a promise to skype with everyone while he was away. He would keep them in contact and updated and he knew if anything were to go wrong all of his brothers would ship themselves across the Atlantic as well. Surprisingly, the least worried out of them all was his older brother, Allistor. He just grinned at Arthur, patted him roughly on his back, and told him to bring back souvenirs.

Arthur had to reassure his mother this vacation wasn’t permanent and that he did plan on returning to them. He wasn’t even sure if Alfred was the one, if he was really what Arthur was looking for in a mate. If talking to him over instant chat messaging had been anything to go by though, Alfred was wonderful. Kind and intriguing, he had a way of making Arthur feel respected. He was good at conversing and seemingly well-educated. Arthur also knew for a fact that the said alpha was rather handsome, assuming his profile pictures and the other photos he’d sent hadn’t been a lie. Alfred had sent one of his family- him and his step-sister Mattie standing next to their father and step-mother. The four of them looked happy and sunny.

Arthur felt nervousness settle in his stomach as he stopped before the security line at the airport. He turned to see his own family smiling at him, even his father. Peter was waving wildly, yelling at Arthur to take a lot of pictures and not forget to talk to him and to watch out for strangers and keep his money in a safe and secure location. He probably would have gone on had their mother not reined him in. Others were looking at their family, and Arthur tried not to wonder what they thought. He waved once more, telling himself he wasn’t going to cry in front of everyone (he could wait until he boarded the plane), and headed towards the security checkpoint.

–

This was something Arthur would have never dreamed or thought himself doing. If someone had told him he’d be flying to America to meet an alpha he’d only spoken to on an internet site Arthur would have considered it be the worst joke anyone had decided to tell him. Of course, even his own brothers had liked to tease him and tell him he was too weird even for the strangers on the internet. Imagine their surprise when Arthur had proved them wrong. Although that wasn’t enough to inspire any self-confidence. Arthur hadn’t even been good enough for the alphas he’d grown up surrounded by. Every year had been the same and the only time he’d really felt a change was when he’d headed off to college.

There he’d felt the eyes of many trained on him, specifically his hips and legs. He didn’t know what had changed about him- perhaps he was just new to them. Yet he knew the alphas would stop and whisper about him when he walked by, and whether it was good or bad Arthur didn’t fully care to know. The alphas that did approach him had been cocky in attitude and it had turned Arthur off to it all. Pretty soon the college world soon came to know that while Arthur might appear as an omega, he had the attitude of a boy raised in a family of alphas. He was quick with his tongue and with his fists, and although his brothers stopped him from getting into a lot of fights, and although over and over many people told him because he was an omega he could not win, Arthur had always given it his all. Was he supposed to stand by while alphas freely groped at him and his omega friends, as if they were fruit and vegetables at a supermarket? Arthur didn’t like the way the look in their eyes said feast when omegas showed up, but he could see it there. He’d been around his brothers enough to know many of those alphas had other thoughts on their minds.

So the more Arthur had distanced himself from that world of parties and drinks, and the more he’d thrown himself into his studies, the reputation of him being a prude and a no-good omega had spread rapidly. People still looked his way, but no one talked to him, no one approached him, and no one wanted him. Even the decent alphas, the one with sweet and innocent smiles, who helped him reach things from higher shelves or said they’d be his lab partner in microbiology, they didn’t want him.

At the light-hearted (yet more damaging than meant) teasing of his brothers, and the lack of attention, Arthur’s self-confidence in himself as omega and confidence at ever meeting an alpha who would want to mate with him quickly was smashed to pieces. He’d tried to convince himself that after college and into the working adult world would give him more options of more mature alphas who’d passed that college party phase and were interested in settling down. However, he soon found that meeting others outside of colleges and bars who had not already found their mate was… nearly impossible.

At the suggestion of a friend Arthur found himself turning to the world of online dating. There he felt safer and more secure. There were sites specifically for alphas and omegas looking for mates. Alphas still roamed and preyed those sites but it was easy to sort them out. They couldn’t touch Arthur through the internet, he couldn’t see their leering eyes, or smell their alcohol-laden scents. But most importantly, they couldn’t know how awkward he truly was. He had time to plan his words carefully, make sure he was polite but not overly so. Make sure he was properly curious, and not uninterested. He wouldn’t snap or become angry at them, wouldn’t say something wrong and ruin the mood. The online world was a perfect place for someone like Arthur, he’d concluded.

Yet it wasn’t what he’d hoped for- there was a serious lack of intimacy that a social network could not give him. He did not have the scent of an alpha near him, a hand in his… He longed for that. When he’d met Alfred through the site that longing had only increased. The alpha had messaged him wondering if it would be all right to talk, and after searching the alpha’s profile and coming to find he lived in America, Arthur had agreed. They were shy, as strangers often are, but each forced comment about the weather eventually faded into questions about each other’s countries, and then, about one another.

Alfred told Arthur he was graduated college but didn’t have any plans for the immediate future. His parents were aging and wanted to retire so Alfred had been aiming to take over their farm. Arthur didn’t know how he felt about farms, having never been on one he didn’t have any opinion on them. However, he had rode horses before and wondered if that was something Alfred’s farm had.

There are three horses, Alfred had responded. My step-sister, step-mother, and I all each have our own. If you want, we can ride together when you visit.

This had been at a point when they’d already discussed the possibility of Arthur traveling to America to visit Alfred. He’d made it clear, and so had Alfred, that they were looking for someone to settle down with, and eventually to start a family with. Alfred wasn’t looking for a fling, and seemed more than eager to have Arthur as his omega. His omega. Arthur had stared at the computer so long and unblinking his eyes burned until tears formed. He wanted to hear the alpha say it to him, tell him he was his omega. To be honest, Arthur didn’t know what sort of alpha Alfred was when it came to… that subject. They’d never discussed anything sexual online, both not looking to satisfy themselves with sexting or anything of the sort.

The idea of having a family though implied that there would be sex at some point in the relationship, but… Arthur was getting too ahead of himself. He flushed and glanced around the plane, for a moment foolishly hoping no one was a mind reader. His scent was easy to keep controlled, and Arthur was very good at self-control, so he didn’t worry about that. However, he couldn’t let himself get consumed about such thoughts. The things he’d imagined…

Arthur sighed, glancing out the plane window. Alfred unfortunately was not able to meet Arthur at the airport and instead had sent his sister to get Arthur instead. Arthur was slightly disappointed, yet relieved. He would be able to talk with his sister to get the rundown on Alfred before actually meeting the alpha. It would give him the proper time to collect his nerves.

What a thing to do- Arthur thought to himself. He never imagined actually meeting the alpha in person, and now that he thought more on it, he was absolutely terrified. What was he doing on this plane? There was nobody in the seat next to him, but Arthur felt eyes on him. He closed his own, taking a deep breath. From the minute Arthur would open his mouth, Alfred would know. He would realize what a terrible mistake he’d made, talking to an omega like Arthur, actually inviting him to stay with him and his family for two weeks. Arthur didn’t know if two weeks sounded like too much or not enough. He supposed he would find out- he’d talked with Alfred online for months now, but was two weeks enough to know him in person? If it didn’t work out, was two weeks enough to realize that they wouldn’t suit one another?

Arthur slept through a majority of the rest of the flight. It was a long one- the longest he’d taken, and he found himself drifting away or attempting to watch the movies on the screen in front of him.

When the plane landed the thing that terrified Arthur the most was the idea that he would and was already head over heels in love with the alpha, and that one look at Arthur would send Alfred rushing to send him back to England.

Arthur had been charmed by the alpha just from words on the screen. He’d looked forward to talking to him at every chance he could, even with the time difference. Sometimes he’d stayed up longer than he should have to talk to Alfred, and hadn’t regretted it the next morning. He smiled and laughed at Alfred words, and worried at his own. What impression had he made on the alpha? Obviously a good enough one for the alpha to meet him in person. But people were different in person than they were on a computer screen, and Arthur was so scared Alfred would realize he didn’t want this- didn’t want the family or the mate or Arthur.

–

He missed his bag the first time around and was too late to grab it so he had to wait longer for the second one. Alfred had given Arthur clear instructions on how to navigate the airport and told him exactly where to go. He knew which gate Arthur had flown into and had told him to meet Mattie at the nearest exit where the taxi pick-up was. Arthur had a picture of Mattie so he knew what she would look like, vaguely, at least. And Mattie was supposed to know what Arthur looked like as well, although it wouldn’t be too hard to spot the omega wandering around confused, he thought.

Arthur walked near the taxi drivers and airport security, tugging his bag along, eyes seeking out Mattie. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see a girl taller than him grinning at him. Her hair was short and shoulder length, skinned darkened and beautiful.

“Arthur,” she greeted warmly and Alfred smiled, nodding.

He felt a nervousness bubble up in him but he told himself not to worry. Although, he hadn’t expected Mattie to be as tall as she was. She was a beta but held herself much like an alpha, and Arthur wondered if it was Alfred’s influence? Was it an American thing? Although Alfred had told Arthur that Mattie was his step-mother’s daughter from another marriage, and that she’d been born in Canada. When his father and her mother had gotten married they’d moved to his dad’s farm and the four of them clicked right together, like a proper family. He didn’t even consider her as a step-anything, and had only used the term to explain.

“Hello,” he said, clearing his throat when the words came out rough. He supposed it was the fact he hadn’t spoken to anyone in a while. “I-It’s lovely to meet you,” he said, offering his hand, deciding he needed to be as polite as possible as to leave a good impression.

Mattie laughed and took his hand, her own warm. It was quite warm here still, despite the fact that it was very overcast. It reminded Arthur of England as he glanced up over the sky. She followed his gaze. “It may rain later,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “We don’t want to get caught up in that so let’s head to the truck,” she suggested. “Here I’ll get your bag for you.”

“It’s fine- it’s not too heavy,” Arthur said, grabbing for his bag, but Mattie was faster and her arms were longer. Arthur inwardly sighed as he watched her hoist it up, thinking about how he was already making this family work more than they had to for him.

“Thank you for coming to pick me up,” he said, following alongside of her.

She nodded. “No problem. Al’s really disappointed he couldn’t be the one to pick you up. He hasn’t shut up about you, you know? Every since you agreed to visit us he’s been trying to make everything perfect- even setting up the guest room for you. He said he’d been asking you what kind of food you like.” She snorted and laughed and Arthur found himself smiling timidly.

Alfred had been talking to him? He felt slightly ashamed. He’d barely breathed a word of Alfred to his own family, and when he had, it had still been very held back and reserved. He felt he was putting too much trouble, all for this visit, on their family. He didn’t know how to repay them for their kindness of letting him stay with them. He’d brought little snacks from England he thought they would enjoy, but there was only so much room in his suitcase…

“W-what about your parents? How are they…? With this…?” Arthur realized it wasn’t something common. Usually alphas didn’t need to rely on online websites to find a mate. It puzzled Arthur. Alfred had seemed handsome and kind. He had a wonderful family, so… why was he not already taken? Why had another omega not already claimed such an alpha? Arthur had been planning on asking that when they’d met, or… planned on finding out the reason why. Was there something Alfred had been keeping from Arthur? Of course, Arthur felt he wouldn’t be too upset with Alfred if he had been. After all, he’d kept his own wretched personality on lock up. That alone was enough of a lie to have him sent away.

“They’re really excited to be honest,” Mattie said. She led Arthur over to a very, very big red truck. She opened the back door and tossed Arthur’s suitcase into the backseat as if it were merely a small purse. Arthur looked up at the seat, wondering how on earth he was going to get up into it. Climb? Was there a ladder?  
“Sorry about the car- this was the only one available to get you in. Do you need help?” Arthur shook his head, determined to not be completely useless. He grabbed the door handle, put his foot on the side, and lugged himself up in the truck, careful not to hit his head. Mattie gave him a thumbs up and shut the door for him before crossing over and easing herself up into the driver’s seat. Arthur felt like he was on top of the world, sitting in the passenger seat. He felt nothing could hurt them and that they would plow down everything in their path. Was everything in America this big?

“So they’re excited?” he prompted. He was curious but didn’t want to be too pushy.

“Yep. Mom’s been buzzing about- she’s happy to have another omega around finally. She’s seen pictures of you and all- it’s kinda funny how Alfred and her chat about you. And then dad, well, he’s wanted Al to find a mate. Al’s been… lonely, and he thought he might have a chance with you…” She seemed to be blushing but Arthur was too at this point.

He couldn’t imagine a whole family ready to welcome him like that. At least it was better than having a family who couldn’t stand him. Although now Arthur was even more nervous because it wasn’t just Alfred he had to impress, it was an entire family. They would know he had resorted to online measures and what would they think of him them? A defective omega? Unable to attain a mate in his own country…?

“How do you feel?” Arthur dared to ask the question. He wanted the truth from Mattie, even if it was at their first meeting and they’d barely spoken a word to one another or had a proper conversation. But she was his sister and Arthur didn’t want to feel like he was a stranger invading their home.

Mattie just laughed as she pulled onto the exit to merge with the high way. “Well, I was kinda worried in the beginning for what type of omega you’d be. But seeing you here now I have no doubt in my mind you and Alfred will get along perfectly. I just need to make sure you aren’t one of those scary alpha-hunting omegas you know?” She giggled then looked over at him, appraising him under her gaze. “You look trustworthy to me- although…” Her grin faded and she had a serious look on her face. “My bro’s pretty serious about this… And… well… I can’t explain it now but you’ll understand- I just hope you’re as serious as he is. I didn’t think you would come all the way here if you weren’t though so… I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”

Mattie’s faith in him was shocking. Arthur was a complete stranger… how could she just look at him and know? How could she not see he was a nervous wreck, afraid to expose his truer side. The one that had a dirty mouth and liked to pick fights with alphas. Arthur had a temper to him and wasn’t always the prim and proper little omega he should be. He wasn’t looking for an alpha to dominate their relationship and order him around, he wasn’t searching to be some housewife and child-bearer and he felt that’s not what Alfred wanted from this.

Arthur just… wanted a mate to love and to have a mate love him. He wanted Alfred to be able to see past all those flaws he had, not being able to live up to the expectations omegas have, and still love him anyway.

“I am serious,” he agreed with Mattie. “I am hoping that… this trip proves to be what I thought it would.”

“I’m thinking this trip will turn out to be more than that,” Mattie said. “I have a feeling.”

–

The rest of the car ride had been more calm in topics than the beginning. They’d settled down from their first impressions and quizzings of one another, letting that rest as they instead chatted about their home lives. Mattie hadn’t heard everything from Alfred- surprisingly, and wanted to know about Arthur’s family and how he dealt with so many brothers. She told Arthur her own mother was overwhelmed just having two alphas around- Alfred and their dad was more than she wanted to handle at times. Lucky and unlucky for her Mattie was a beta who had gotten her height from her biological father. This made it easier for Mattie to deal with Alfred when he’d been younger and more hot-headed. Although, this made it harder for Mattie to truly bond with her mother. She didn’t know the experience of being an omega and what that was like. So she was happy to have Arthur visit to finally have an omega around- and was thrilled at the prospect of Arthur staying around for longer.

Everyone in the family was more than happy for Alfred to bring home an omega, something he hadn’t done since freshmen year of high school when a young omega girl had asked him to their school’s homecoming dance. Alfred had been reluctant but hadn’t wanted to turn her down so he agreed. They didn’t talk much after that and Alfred’s parents waited patiently. But high school ended and college ended and Alfred had yet to even mention a name.

After Mattie went on her rant about Alfred’s college years she then questioned Arthur about his brothers, and as he went through each of them he felt a homesickness. This was ridiculous- it hadn’t even been one day here and already he was missing his mother and Peter and even stupid Allistor.

He glanced out the window, still trying to take in the scenery and forcing himself not to cry. He didn’t know what he expected America to be like, but it was so wide and… flat. It was as if that expansive flatness just went on and on forever. He commented on this and then told Mattie about England and where he lived and what that was like. She admitted she’d wanted to travel to Europe and he told her if things worked out between him and Alfred then she was most certainly welcome to visit his family. He had a feeling she would get along with his brothers quite easily.

The sky was even darker when they pulled into a driveway, Mattie glancing over at Arthur. Nobody was standing outside- although Arthur didn’t know why he thought there would be. He looked around, realizing that he couldn’t even see any houses nearby. He was so used to houses back in England crammed together, barely even space in between them from where he lived. But Alfred’s home went for miles without the sign of another house. Fields stretched back far into the distance of a forest line. Arthur wondered if Alfred ever went into the forest or if it was even accessible to people.

He unbuckled when they came to a stop.

“This is it,” Mattie announced, waving her arms in gesture to the house. It was what Arthur imagined it would be. A large white farmhouse. Windows with painted shutters, two floors and a large porch with chairs to sit in. In the back of the house Arthur could see a large barn and wondered if there were animals there. He knew they had horses but couldn’t see a stable and assumed that was further back.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured, craning his neck to see more of the house. “And so big… There’s so much land around here- I can’t imagine how much work it must take to tend to all of this.” Arthur was impressed. That’s when he saw the front door to the house swing open. A figure stepped out onto the porch that Arthur recognized with a tightness in his chest as Alfred.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more awkwardness to ensue

Alfred was making his way to the car, stepping down off the porch. Arthur felt too many thoughts rush through his head all at once. Alfred seemed a lot larger in person, despite the fact Arthur was still high up in the car. Alfred also appeared to be walking with a different gait, but Arthur couldn’t figure out why. Other than the peculiar walk the alpha looked healthy and as he neared the vehicle, more and more handsome. It was too overcast for Arthur to really get a good look at the golden color of his hair unfortunately.

He was distracted by Mattie getting out of the truck next to him. Arthur pushed open his own door, seeing Mattie come around to the back seat where she’d put his bag. Arthur was ready to make the jump when Alfred rounded the door. Arthur wondered if it was okay to stay up in the car at this point, feeling butterflies in his stomach. Alfred was there- right there in front of him. The alpha he’d been infatuated with from on an online site was grinning up at him and coming closer and- what was he doing?

“Let me help,” he said, almost too softly for Arthur to hear. Alfred put his hands on Arthur’s waist and easily plucked him up and out of the car. Arthur grabbed his shoulders in surprise as he was slowly lowered to the ground. If there was one thing Arthur knew about the alpha now, it was that he was strong. At least strong enough to hold Arthur up without any difficulties. And if those shoulders Arthur’s hands had been resting on were anything to go by, then Alfred could probably lift two of Arthur at once.

There was no way to test this theory, so feeling embarrassed, Arthur lowered his hands and stepped back, a light blush on his face. His ran his gaze over Alfred’s face, seeing the beautiful blue of his eyes even if the sky was cloudy and dark. It was as if Alfred’s eyes had just soaked up the sky blue themselves. His smile was gorgeous- addicting. Teeth straight, nose straight, glasses perched at the top of his nose. To top it all of, Alfred had the most wonderful scent. Cedar and pine, a fireplace smoke, and a hint of sweet bread. Arthur felt himself yearn at that scent, wondering how Alfred could be so alluring all at once.

Arthur could see Alfred looking over him as well, and noticed his smile just seemed to grow. “You’re just as cute as your pictures Artie,” Alfred said, and that’s when it hit Arthur. That accent. It was nothing Arthur had ever heard before. “Are ya tired from your plane flight?” In England, Arthur had often heard others talk of the American Southern accent, but he’d never met anyone with it. He’d always assumed it would be an ugly accent, but hearing it from Alfred he felt it very much the opposite of ugly.

“Only a little bit,” he responded. “The flight was long but I had the seat to myself, and I slept through most of it,” he added.

“I’m taking Arthur’s stuff in,” Mattie said, walking past them. Alfred nodded at her.

“I’ve never flown on a plane before,” Alfred admitted. “Seen ‘em in the movies and all but never had the need to. When we went to Canada, I told you, we drove up there.”

“It… must have been a long drive.”

Alfred nodded then smiled at Arthur. Arthur didn’t know how to feel about all of this. Alfred was… Alfred was perfect. In picture, standing there next to Arthur, he was what one would imagine a perfect alpha to be. Tall, strong, handsome. His eyes were gentle and face filled with mirth and that kindness he’d shown over the internet seemed to be genuine. There were no leering eyes or attempts to get too close to Arthur. Arthur felt fear course through him- how did he even compare? And how had Alfred not already been claimed? Surely he had drawn the attention of many other omegas.

“You doin’ all right there Artie?” Alfred asked, and it was the first time Arthur saw worry in his expression.

“I’m fine,” he reassured.

“Well Ma and Pa wanna meet you, especially Ma, so let’s get you inside before it starts raining.” He put a hand to the small of Arthur’s back and ushered him forwards towards the house. “You’re smaller than I’d thought you be,” Alfred said, glancing down at him. Arthur frowned slightly. “It ain’t a bad thing Artie- but you look like you’re in need of a good hearty meal. They don’t got much fatty food in England?”

“Um… well… I wouldn’t really know I just… don’t eat much I suppose,” Arthur responded, conflicted. Alfred’s grammar was… something left to be desired, yet it fit the accent so well. And the accent fit Alfred so well. He’d heard about this, the southern charm. That hospitable southern-ness that was supposedly unmatched by anywhere else in the states. He was experiencing it first hand and from the lips of a very handsome alpha. “I look forward to trying American cuisine,” he added as an afterthought.

“Cuisine,” Alfred grinned, teasing at him.

Arthur bit his lip to hold his tongue. He couldn’t snap at the alpha- not so soon.

Alfred got the door for Arthur and held it for him. Arthur moved into the front entrance and stepped out of the way for Alfred to enter as well. He looked around. The front entrance had a place for hanging coats and scarves, and a small table for an assortment of keys and other small things. On the ground were shoes all pushed up against a closest. The front entrance expanded down into a hallway, and at the end Arthur could see a living room. There was a door to the right that Arthur couldn’t see into from where he stood now. The whole house itself smelled like the cedar wood planks that lined the floor. They creaked when Arthur stepped over them, yet he couldn’t help but feel already how homey this place was.

“Let me give ya the tour,” Alfred said. He motioned for Arthur to follow him as they moved down the hallway. He took him to the room to the right first, which Arthur soon found out was the kitchen. As they passed down the hallway, Arthur took the time to look at the picture frames all hung up along it. There were so many pictures everywhere, some of Alfred and his family and some of people Arthur didn’t know. In the kitchen the smell of cooking and baking drifted over him. It made his mouth water and Arthur remembered he hadn’t eaten in a very long time.

As the warmth of the house settled over him so did a sleepiness. Despite only sitting for hours and sleeping, Arthur was tired. And the time difference, seven hours he believed, meant that it was later for him in England than it was here.

The kitchen was cozy and small, and reminded him a bit of his own. There were aprons on a hook, and bright colors on the walls. Timers were lined on the back of a stove, and a clock hung ticking on the farthest wall. A large window let muted light shine over a dinner table, which was covered in a yellow cloth. Arthur took his time glancing around the room until he heard a woman’s voice calling Alfred’s name.

“In here Ma,” Alfred responded. A lady entered the room- her skin also dark like Mattie’s. She had the same nose as Mattie, but was about a foot shorter, closer to Arthur’s height. Her gaze fell on him for just a moment before a large and warm smile broke out across her face. She came forward and Arthur was reminded of his own mother, like a bird flitting about their young.

“Oh dear let me look at you-” she said, taking Arthur’s hands in her own. “Oh you’re lovely,” she cooed. She suddenly pulled him into a hug and Arthur could see Alfred’s cheeks flushing.

“Ma don’t embarrass us…”

“Oh hush dear.”

“Thank you ma’am,” Arthur said politely, although he was just as embarrassed as Alfred seemed to be. Alfred’s mother had called him lovely… He wondered if Alfred felt the same about him. “Your home is beautiful- I mean, I’ve only seen a bit of it, but it’s very charming.”

Alfred’s mother smiled at him. “I’ll let Alfred give you the rest of the tour, but dear you look exhausted. Perhaps you should let him rest up before dinner time?” she prompted to Alfred.

“Oh no no I’m quite all right,” Arthur said. “I slept a lot on the plane…”

“Even so…” she said with a worried tone.

“C’mon Artie,” Alfred said warmly. “Ma’s a stubborn one.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Arthur said to her before leaving the kitchen with Alfred. The living room was just as cozy as the rest of the house. It led off back to a master bedroom and bathroom, and then to a staircase.

“Your room is upstairs,” Alfred said. “Hope you don’t mind- it’s next to Mattie and mine.”

Arthur shook his head. “I don’t mind.”

He followed Alfred up the stairs and noticed the way he leaned on one leg- had something happened to the other? An injury? He held his tongue. He wasn’t going to ask right away having not even been here for an hour yet.

Alfred showed Arthur Mattie’s bedroom, which Mattie was currently in. She smiled at Artie and he gave a nod back as they moved onto Alfred’s bedroom. His was similar to Mattie’s, with a few differences in items that filled it. Arthur saw a strange black and silver orb over in the corner, not knowing what it was. He kept quiet as Alfred chattered about the meal his mother had made for Artie’s arrival. He showed Arthur to the guest room he’d be staying in. His suitcase was already sitting in there by an already made-bed.

“Ma said you can use the dresser and the closet to put your stuff in if you’d like. Better than living out of the suitcase. The closet’s got some stuff in it already but there should still be room.” He stepped away from Arthur. “You’re ah… pretty quiet I guess.” He laughed a bit.

Arthur panicked slightly. Was quiet bad? Did Alfred want him to talk more? Despite saying he was fine, Arthur had to admit he was tired.

“I’ll let you get some rest and then come get you when dinner’s ready. I guess I got a little too excited wantin’ to talk to you and all but… We have two weeks for that.” He smiled at Arthur.

“Thank you Alfred,” he murmured in response. Alfred hesitated, looking like he wanted to say more. He watched the alpha take a step towards him and then stop.

“R-right, well. I’ll see you later,” Alfred said, turning and leaving the room.

Arthur sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. After feeling so comfortable talking to Alfred over the internet, he was surprised at how much he felt like a stranger to him now. Had Alfred already figured him out? Arthur realized he was going to have to step out of his comfort zone if he was going to make things work over the next two weeks. The issue was- Arthur could see himself settling down with Alfred. He could picture being mates with the alpha, and he longed to be closer to him. But what if, right at this moment, Alfred was realizing Arthur was not what he wanted? If he was going to change Alfred’s mind, then he needed to make Alfred see he wasn’t just a quiet, boring omega.

He got up and shut the door, then shrugged off his shoes and placed them neatly by the dresser. He crawled onto the bed, not wanting to muss up the covers quite yet. Arthur could hear soft music playing from over in Mattie’s room, but it didn’t bother him much. He was surprised he could hear the murmur of Alfred’s and his mother’s voice coming from downstairs. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he assumed they were probably talking about him.

Why couldn’t he have been a more energetic omega? More bubbly and sociable? Perhaps he wouldn’t feel so out of place then. He sighed and pushed his face into the pillow. Alfred had been more than Arthur could have imagined. Although there was still the mystery with his leg, which honestly wasn’t even off-putting to Arthur (he was just curious to know), Alfred was straight from a movie. An American southern movie where the lead actor is handsome and winds up with a beautiful omega. But this wasn’t a movie- This was a potential marriage… If things worked out well Arthur would be Alfred’s mate. And then there was the realization that if Arthur did become mates with Alfred then he would most certainly have to move here. Could he live in a house like this? Would they continue to live with Alfred’s family? He hadn’t taken that into consideration. Alfred had said he’d be taking over the farm so it meant he was tied to this land. How did Arthur feel about marrying a farmer?  
At this point, Alfred could have told Arthur he was a plumber and Arthur would still be smitten over him. It wasn’t as if Arthur had been in this for money or anything like that and he never wanted Alfred to think he was just trying to use him.

Things could only go one day at a time, and for now he would keep these thoughts and feelings to himself. He knew when the two weeks ended Alfred and him would need to discuss where they were standing and what the arrangements would be. There was no need to rush, and if it meant Arthur had to come back another time for another two weeks, or Alfred visit him in England for two weeks, then they could work that out. Nothing had to be officially decided by the end of the two weeks, but if there was a path, Arthur hoped it was the one where he and Alfred ended up married and not the path where Arthur returned to England alone and never to talk to the alpha again.

He realized he wasn’t going to get any rest if he continued thinking like this. Arthur sighed and curled up on his side, nuzzling down into the pillow further. He didn’t expect it to smell of Alfred but he smiled as he remembered that scent. He wanted to talk to Alfred, get to know him more, make the most of this trip. He was vaguely aware of a ticking from somewhere in the house as he drifted off into sleep.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meeting the parentsssssssssssssssssssssssss

“He was sound asleep last I checked,” Mattie said.

“Ma you made this dinner and all…”

“We really should let him sleep more, the poor dear,” Alfred’s mother responded.

Arthur could hear the soft voices as he neared the kitchen, stumbling a bit, still groggy. He’d woken up only minutes ago and didn’t have any inkling of what time it was. He’d fought waking up but part of him reminded him he had to socialize and eat. When he’d awakened he’d been confused, not remember where he was for the first few seconds. Then it all came back- the smell of Alfred’s home reminding Arthur he wasn’t in England anymore.

He didn’t know how long he’d slept. It was dark out at this point but how late? When Arthur exited the bedroom, stumbling and hoping he wouldn’t fall down the staircase, he could see Mattie wasn’t in her bedroom. Voices from downstairs led Arthur to believe everyone was gathered there.

Now he was standing in the doorway. Faces and bodies turned to look at him, as if he were an intruder in their house and their private conversation.

“How was your rest?” Mattie was the first to break the silence to ask him.

“Did you sleep all right? Was the bed soft enough?” Alfred interjected before Arthur could respond.

Arthur felt a restlessness in him, a kind of irritability that came with being tired and not wanting to be spoken to until he was more awake. He once again had to remind himself that being polite here was key.

“The rest was good, I slept all right, and the bed was soft enough,” he responded, voice a bit groggy with sleep. He cleared it with a soft cough, not entering the kitchen and glancing around. He could smell the sweet and flour-laden scent of bread, freshly baked. Pots and pans had been washed and were lined up by the sink to dry. Arthur could see food already laying out on the table and wondered if he’d caused them all to wait. For how long? Plates were set out and Arthur felt a bit a guiltiness.

“You all didn’t have to wait…”

“Oh no no sweetie,” Alfred’s mother said, smiling at him. “We haven’t waited at all. I just got everything set out you know. In fact, you’re here even before Alfred’s father.” She came over to Arthur’s side, putting a hand on his back and guiding him forward. “You must be famished dear.”

“Are you cold at all?” Alfred asked, following behind. “Ma’s always complainin’ how cold it is in here.”

Arthur wasn’t as hungry as he thought he would be and he wasn’t particularly cold. What he was, though, was slightly annoyed. Too many questions were being thrown to him and too many people were surrounding him. He wondered how rude it would be to re-excuse himself back upstairs to the bedroom and sleep through the rest of the night. Of course, he once again had to remind himself that this anti-social behavior was exactly the reason that he’d never attracted a mate back in England. Alfred’s family was just trying to accommodate him and provide for him, extending that hospitality to him was something polite they were going out of their way to do. Arthur didn’t want to reject that kindness with such a deplorable attitude so he decided to cast those feelings of annoyance away, knowing full well that if they rose too near the surface then Alfred would be able to smell them on his scent. It was going to be hard, hiding that kind of thing from Alfred. An Alpha’s ability to pick out scents was stronger than an Omega’s, so while it would be easy to hide certain feelings and needs from Alfred’s mother and Mattie, it wouldn’t be nearly the same for his father or Alfred himself. Arthur had to be careful.

“I’m not cold,” he responded to Alfred then recast his attention to his mother. “Everything smells delicious Mrs. Jones.”

“Mrs. Jones,” Mattie snorted. Her mother flicked her in the arm, frowning at her daughter with parent disapproval.

“You can call me Jas, dear,” she said, addressing Arthur now. “And Alfred’s father’s name is Ben. Please no need for the Mr. and Mrs., we don’t want you to feel unwelcome here.”

Arthur made a mental note of their names, and was going to ask what Jas was short for before being interrupted by the arrival of Alfred’s father. He came into the kitchen, and everyone turned to look at him. Jas went to his side, smiling up at him. He gave her a soft look and the two shared a small and quieted exchange of words. Arthur noticed they acted as his own mother and father, and figured it was something common between mates. Mr.Jones- Ben, it felt strange to call him something so familiar, kissed her forehead and smiled at the rest of them before his gaze focused in on Arthur.

Arthur felt like a deer trapped in the headlights when Ben looked at him. He eyes were calculating- but calculating what, Arthur didn’t know. He was sure all parents were cautious about who their children chose as mates. It was more so the case for Omegas, but sometimes who an Alpha chose for their mate was just as important. Omegas weren’t physically as dangerous but they still did pose an emotional threat. Arthur knew of some Omegas who revealed after marriage their manipulation, trapping the Alpha to them. Being mates didn’t mean things like cheating or separation didn’t happen, it was just rarer because of the bond between them.

The way Alfred’s father looked at him, Arthur wondered if he could smell the anger Arthur sometimes carried on his scent. Or could he just look at him and know that he wasn’t the right Omega for his perfect son?

“Pa,” Alfred said, standing next to Arthur now. Arthur felt comforted by the action. He kept forgetting that this was something they were in together. The choice to become mates was a decision they both were agreeing upon- it wasn’t just one sided.

Arthur wondered what they looked like next to one another. He was closer to Alfred than he wanted to think about, especially with that wonderful scent wafting off the Alpha, but he wondered what Ben thought of him. Alfred’s dad smiled at him and Arthur could instantly see the resemblance from father to son. He was tall like Arthur but a little smaller looking, not as broad. That was most likely due to aging. He had a light bit of facial hair around his chin and wrinkles forming around his eyes. Arthur wondered if Alfred would age just the same. He tried to picture the alpha now with the same amount of facial hair but couldn’t really put the two together.

“So this is Arthur? The omega Al hasn’t stopped talking about,” he laughed.

“Pa please,” Alfred fidgeted next to Arthur.

Arthur found himself relaxing only slightly. He was still nervous and knew everyone in the room could probably sense it. Mattie and Jas hadn’t said anything, just watching the dialogue between them in silence. Arthur was reminded of times having to meet with the principal of his school when he was younger. Alphas were naturally authoritative characters and therefore had a type of presence that made omegas and betas very aware of their status in society. Arthur didn’t particularly feel threatened by Ben, although he knew if he acted out of line or did anything to pose a threat to Ben’s family the alpha would respond in a way that Arthur never wanted to see. Of course, Arthur bore no ill-will towards Ben’s family, particularly Alfred, and had no desires to make the alpha angered towards him. He was an omega, however, and knew the alpha wouldn’t physically hurt him. Still, he was beginning to realize that this wasn’t just him winning over Alfred’s heart, he was also trying to win over the hearts of the rest of Alfred’s family.

“It’s nice to meet you, and your family- this house is lovely,” Arthur said, shoulders tense. Alfred put a hand on the small of his back and Arthur jumped in surprise. A soothing motion from Alfred’s hand was silently telling Arthur to calm down and relax some.

“Well thank ya,” Ben responded. “We’re glad to have ya visiting us in these rural parts. Ain’t got much to do ‘round here besides farm stuff,” he said with a chuckle. Ben wrapped an arm around Jas’ shoulders. “Had that spare bedroom all set up and nobody to sleep there. Jas here is happy someone’s finally using it. ‘sides she likes to cook for a big family and heaven knows two children ain’t enough.” Jas flushed a bit but leaned into Ben’s side. Arthur wondered if this was what it was like looking at a picture perfect family. He wanted to gather Alfred and Mattie on either side of their parents and snap a picture.

“I love the house- it’s beautiful,” Arthur said honestly. “And it’s nice to meet you, Mr.-uh… Ben…”

“Honey you can call us Ma and Pa if you’d like,” Alfred’s mother said.

Arthur didn’t know how he’d so suddenly been promoted from Mr. & Mrs. to names and then to Mother and Father but he was surprised to have permission to address them as such so quickly. He didn’t want to be rude by not addressing them as Mother and Father but at the same time he felt an awkwardness at doing so.

“You guys are scaring him,” Mattie laughed. “I’m starving can we eat mom, please?”

“There will no eating your mother now,” Alfred’s father said, a serious look on his face. Both Mattie and Alfred groaned and rolled their eyes. They all started moving towards the table, taking their seats. Arthur was placed next to Alfred, across from Mattie, and another chair had been added at the head of the table for Alfred’s father to sit.

“You still look a little tired sweetie,” Jas said, addressing Arthur, worry in her voice. “Please eat as much as you want and get your fill.”

“Ah… All right. Everything looks and smells amazing,” he said again, flushing. He didn’t miss the look Alfred cast his way although he couldn’t make out what he was thinking. He wished he were better at reading scents.

Everyone began eating, Arthur keeping quiet and listening to small conversations between them as he ate. He nearly melted at how delicious everything tasted as Alfred talked with his dad about things around the farm, some technical language Arthur wasn’t really sure. He didn’t miss how thick their accents both were, something Mattie and Jas didn’t share; having been born and raised in Canada their accents differed. He’d found that out about them a while back in a chat with Alfred but to be honest anything outside of accents from his own country were strange to him. Alfred however… Alfred’s accent was something. His voice was smooth even with the harsher twang of certain words. It was a deep and sounded like it was made for singing or something as equally as romantic. Arthur kept his head from going down the route of trying to picture Alfred using that voice in bed. It was so new and so addicting- the omega couldn’t help but feel that the accent only made Alfred seem more perfect as an alpha.

Realizing he shouldn’t be thinking about such things at the dinner table, Arthur looked at Mattie now.

“The music you were playing earlier, in your bedroom, what was it?” he asked, curious and trying to spark up a conversation with her since she didn’t seem to be talking to anyone. He didn’t want their family to think he was only interested in talking or being with Alfred, so he felt he needed to balance the conversation between all of them. He assumed there would be times when Alfred would be busy and so he wanted to form a good relationship with his mother and sister and even his father. If this did work out they would be part of his new family, and because he hadn’t spent months talking to them online he had some catching up to do. Not that talking to Alfred online had really prepared him for anything- He was still bumbling and fumbling for words around the alpha. Maybe never hanging out with the alphas like the omegas did back in college had been a poor decision, he just… was overwhelmed by Alfred. It could be a combination of tiredness, long flights, and the fact that Alfred was very, very nice to look at.

“Hm? Well, I was listening to whatever itunes shuffled through, if you want I can show you some of the albums I have. A lot of its alternative rock but I occasionally like a little classical too.”

“Were you playing Bach?” Arthur asked, remembering the soft sounds of a cello.

She nodded. “I’ve been learning cello since I was in the fourth grade and I’ve made it a goal to learn to play at least ten of his suites by heart.”

“Mattie’s always playing her cello so I hope that doesn’t annoy you,” Alfred said, stopping his conversation with his dad to now focus on Arthur and Mattie.

“Of course not…” Arthur responded, feeling put on the spot again.

“Do you play any instruments?” Mattie asked.

Arthur’s mind flipped back to high school where in a rebellious phase he’d picked up the electric guitar. He liked to play it on his own from time to time but never in front of others. “I uh… a little bit of guitar,” he said, omitting the electric part out. “And only really as a hobby… I haven’t picked it up in a while.”

“Aw Artie ya never told me ya played guitar. We just sold the one we had, none of us know how to use the thing. I’d of kept it if I’d known,” Alfred piped in. He looked slightly disappointed.

“I-I really don’t play that well,” Arthur responded. “And like I’ve said, it’s been a while. It’s probably fortunate for everyone’s ears that you did sell it.”

Ben and Jas laughed and Arthur flushed more.

Arthur focused back on his plate, embarrassed, and took another bite.

“Does everything taste all right? Let us know if there’s any foods you dislike, Arthur,” Jas said, “Just so I know not to make them.”

“Everything tastes wonderful- honestly,” Arthur said. He’d actually grown hungrier as he began to eat and now the amount of food was catching up to him. “There’s nothing I can think of that I particularly dislike at the moment, but I will let you know if it comes up.”

Jas nodded and smiled. “He doesn’t look it but Alfred was the pickiest eater when he was younger.”

It was Alfred’s turn to be embarrassed now. Arthur felt a bit pleased to get to find out a bit more about Alfred. He knew that if Alfred had visited him in England his own family would have thrown him under the bus with all their family stories and jokes.

They chatted more about random topics, mostly about types of foods Alfred had rejected and a phase he’d gone through that had consisted of only eating burgers. It was only when Arthur was yawning more than he was eating and was blinking tiredly at the plate that Alfred seemed to notice and suggested Arthur head on up to bed. He didn’t want to argue with him so he nodded slowly.

He thanked Jas for the meal and said goodnight to everyone as he stood up. Alfred got up with him, saying he wanted to go with Arthur for a moment and together they headed back up the stairs.

“You smell better now,” Alfred commented as they neared the landing.

Arthur felt a twist in his gut. Arthur had smelled off…? Did he still smell weird then? Bad? Alfred smelled like all kinds of heaven and here he was telling Arthur his scent had been off. Arthur felt defensive and wanted to retreat to where Alfred couldn’t smell him. He’d never considered that he’d smelled bad. He hadn’t had an alpha to tell him so- well, other than brothers to pick on him, but he’d only thought they’d been joking. And his scent wasn’t supposed to smell good to them either, being in the same family.

Alfred stopped walking once they reached the top. “You don’t smell bad Artie,” he said, frowning at him. “You just well- er… I’m sorry I’m not used to being around omegas,” he sighed. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to take care of you or let you all take care of yourself. I only know when Ma smells like she needs protein Pa will make her eggs and potatoes and I’m not used to havin’ to pick up on other omega’s smells but I just wanted to make sure you were alright… Earlier you were so tired and w-well now you’re better once you got some food in ya and…” Alfred stuttered out his words quickly and stood there, embarrassed.

“I well… I’ve never really been around enough alphas to know…” Arthur admitted, embarrassed too. “But… I don’t mind- whatever you choose to do…” Arthur wondered if he could get any more awkward. He felt like he was trying to speak a foreign language. “Thank you for your concern Alfred,” he said, mustering up a smile.

“You’re welcome,” he replied gently. He led Arthur to the bedroom, the room cast in darkness. “I’ll see ya in the mornin’ Artie,” he said, a bit of hopefulness in his voice.

Arthur nodded. “And you as well, Alfred.”

They paused there, both silent and unsure of what to say or do. Alfred moved first, bending down slowly, hesitating for just a moment before placing a soft kiss on Arthur’s cheek. He moved so slowly Arthur could feel his breath on his cheek as he murmured “goodnight” before he pulled away. He headed away, quickly descending the stairs and leaving Arthur there. Arthur found himself dazedly staring across the room to the window sill, hand on his cheek where the kiss had left a hot trail, a seemingly ever-present blush on his face.


	4. Chapter Four

Arthur was woken to a very loud crash that resounded everywhere, shaking him, and sat up quickly on the bed. He was disoriented, trying to remember the location of the noise as he rushed from the room. Mattie’s bedroom door was open but she didn’t appear to be there so he couldn’t question her about it. When he got down to the first floor he found not a single person even searching the kitchen and other rooms. He of course didn’t go into the parents’ bedroom but didn’t hear any movement or voices. A small part of him hoped that whatever the noise was hadn’t been a giant object crushing the entire Jones family. He’d heard farm work could be dangerous- anywhere from losing limbs to getting killed by farm animals. He doubted the second happened as frequently, but still had to wonder where everyone had gone.

It was the second day into the visit, so he was more settled in than before at least. That morning he’d woken up at 4am and was thankful farm people all seemed to be early risers. Alfred had gone out with his father to do some chores- tending to the cattle and such- things Arthur wasn’t too entirely sure of having never been on a farm before. Jas had cooked him up a rather large breakfast but one that was delicious all the same. Arthur was going to miss such delicious food when he returned to England. His mother was so busy with her own work she hardly ever had the time to prepare meals for them, and even then, most of the family wasn’t around to sit down and enjoy it together. His older brothers and father worked and the younger ones had school activities and clubs. It was certainly quite a different experience in Alfred’s home. They seemed so family-oriented, actually taking the time to sit down together and talk and eat meals together.

Jas had promised when Alfred was done with his work he would come back around to give Arthur a full tour of the farm, something Arthur was looking forward to. He wanted to see just how big it was and perhaps see the horses. Jas had busied herself with her own chores around the house. Arthur had attempted to offer his help but she’d turned him down. He decided to shower and then after that, having nothing much else to do Arthur found a book a curled up in bed, where he’d accidentally fallen asleep again at some point.

What time was it now even? He made his way back into the kitchen and looked at the clock on the stove. Only a little past noon- still quite early in the day. Waking up so early always made the days feel longer but Arthur had been grateful for the unplanned nap. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and headed out to the porch. If no one was inside they all had to be outside, logically. And hopefully not all crushed.

It was bright today, warm sun washing over the large expanse of land. A gentle breeze stirred up wind chimes on the bright and white porch, blinding Arthur’s vision for just a moment. Smells of earth and mud and the creak of the porch as he moved across it filled his senses. There were porch chairs with cushions and a little table with a couple of books lying on it. Arthur wondered if that’s what Alfred’s mother or perhaps Mattie did in their spare time. In the shade of the porch and with the wind it was a lovely spot to curl up and read. Arthur could just imagine Jas or someone sitting here sipping tea or lemonade and he felt a craving for a cup of tea himself. He would have to ask later if they had any.

The porch unfortunately only gave Arthur a view of the front yard. Where Mattie had parked her car in the gravel driveway it was now vacant and empty, as if upon Arthur’s arrival, the entire Jones family had packed themselves up and left the farm to Arthur. Maybe all of them were simultaneously realizing what a mistake it was to have brought such a foreign omega into their home. Arthur was convinced if he continued on this train of thought he’d only depress himself further so he abandoned it to continue his search.

He rounded the side of the house, seeing a series of a couple red barns and silos set back about 50 feet. In the distance was an outline of a fence and Arthur wondered if that’s where the cattle grazed. He knew they had horses but did they have any other farm animals? Chickens, pigs, cows? He knew some farms specified cattle and some land but didn’t know about Alfred’s farm. In all their chats online the topic had never really come up and Arthur had never questioned Alfred about his work. Perhaps being surrounded by this all the time was natural for Alfred and therefore a boring topic.

Walking up a slight slope Arthur headed off towards the barn. As he got closer he could see past it, into the field, where two figures stood. He marched past the shade of the barn, glancing up its large red walls. It felt ominous and silent, and the wind was dead back behind this part. A gleam of sun cast from a silo sprayed patterns of light over the barn adjacent to him and he looked over it as he walked.

The two figures grew more defined as he got closer, and he could see they had their backs turned to him. He was glad to find he hadn’t been left alone and when he got closer he heard another splintering crack and then the same loud sound as before, except this time just up over the rise of a small hill, the sound was accompanied by a large trunk crashing to the ground far from Mattie and Jas.

Mattie seemed to sense his approach. She turned and offered him a smile in greeting as he reached the top of the uprise, now able to look over the fields and farmland. Gentle slopes lined with fences, crops like the waves of a sea gently rolling in the breeze. There in the middle of an empty field were two trees now side by side on the ground, their stumps the only reminder of where they once posed.

“Morning sleepyhead,” she teased.

Jas turned too and smiled. “I’m sorry for all the noise. I hoped it wouldn’t have woken you up.”

“It’s all right,” Arthur responded. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep again.”

“Well you’re still getting used to the time difference and jet lag dear.”

Arthur could see Alfred and his father talking and grinning at one another, thankfully not crushed by the trunks.

“Why did they cut them down?” he asked, feeling stupid for not knowing already.

“They’re dead, so we cut them down. Sometimes we use them for firewood or sell them off. Or drag them off into the woods and let them decompose there.”

Arthur did notice now how bare they looked, lifeless and now lying still on the ground. He was glad though that Alfred hadn’t been crushed by one of those trees when it fell. Although they’d probably done this a lot of times and knew what they were doing.

“Are you hungry?” Jas asked him and Arthur shook his head. He was still a bit sleepy but was slowly waking more up. The crash of the tree had done a good job of putting his senses on alert, but the warm sun made him remember the chairs on the porch where he wanted to curl up.

“I’m still full from breakfast.”

“You just let me know then dear,” Jas said, smiling gently at him.

“Well if you aren’t going to eat I will,” Mattie said. “I’m starving mom. What’re you making for lunch?”

“Just wait a moment for your father to get over here and then we’ll decide.”

The two of them chatted to one another, and Arthur turned his attention back on Alfred. He and Ben were headed back their way- Alfred waving to them and grinning. He was in a white t-shirt that clung to him and his body all too well, jeans, and boots. He had big gloves on his hands and his hair was slightly askew. All this Arthur took in, trying not to outright stare at the alpha too much. He couldn’t help that Alfred was very well toned from farm work or smiled at him so sweetly.

Mattie and Jas grouped up with Ben, Mattie’s whining voice about starving to death and hunger rising over that of her parents’ voices. Alfred diverged from them and headed over to where Arthur stood, a bit out of the way. Arthur felt nervous, wondering what Alfred was going to say.

“Your hair’s all mussed up Artie, looks real cute,” he greeted, a sheepish grin on his face.

The moment was lost. Arthur frowned and immediately reached up to pat his hair down. He hadn’t taken the time to check for bed hair and felt embarrassed. Alfred laughed at the action and Arthur’s embarrassment grew, wanting to reprimand the alpha.

“Your hair’s all mussed up too,” he responded.

“Ah is it?” Alfred said, a lazy smile on his face as he patted at his own hair. Warm eyes met Arthur’s. “Guess we’re the same then, Artie.”

Arthur felt butterflies in his stomach. Why did Alfre have to look at him like that?

“I’m done chores for now so if ya let me get cleaned up and get some food in me I’ll take ya on a tour of the farm, okay?”

“All right,” Arthur agreed, lighting up a bit. He’d wanted to see the farm. He was still surprised at how much land they owned. It seemed as if it went on forever. “Will we see the horses as well?”

“Of course- ain’t gonna let you go on a tour and not see all the animals ya know?”

The rest of Alfred’s family had started walking back so Alfred and Arthur turned and followed, trailing behind a bit of the way. Arthur saw Mattie give a look back towards Alfred, an expression he couldn’t read, and wondered what it was about. Alfred didn’t say anything on the matter and the two of them walked in silence.

Alfred was the first to break it. “We do have some tea,” he said absent-mindedly, not looking at Arthur as he spoke. “Ma likes sweet tea and all but she keeps some of them tea bags for colder weather. Wasn’t ever much for tea myself but I’m sure we can dig it up for ya.”

Arthur blinked at him in surprise. Was it on his scent then? He couldn’t deny a cup of tea sounded heavenly right now, almost as heavenly as Alfred’s scent was to him. Arthur wasn’t so sure how he felt about Alfred reading his scent. If he could pick up so easily on things like cravings for cups of tea then he would most certainly pick up on irritation and annoyance.

“S-sorry,” Alfred said quickly. “If you want me to stop readin’ your scent like that just let me know. I keep forgettin’. Just feels natural to do so I guess. Wanna make sure you’re comfortable and all, Artie.”

“No need to apologize. I’m just not used to have others outside of my family read my scent, but I’m sure I’ll get more used to it eventually.” And if they ended up living together and becoming mates, it was something he would be exposed to more and more over time.

“Well if it gets to be too much…” He offered a small smile. When they neared the house again the rest of Alfred’s family had already gone in. Arthur reached the porch first and pulled the creaking screen door towards him, keeping it open for Alfred.

“I’ll ask Ma ‘bout the tea then head off to shower.”

“I can ask her,” Arthur said. “It’s really no trouble.” He didn’t want Alfred running around trying to do everything for him.

Alfred nodded and headed up the stairs and Arthur found himself in the kitchen, the rest of Alfred’s family bustling around. Mattie and her father appeared to be putting together giant sandwiches while Jas got plates out from a cabinet. They looked so coordinated, so well fit together that Arthur had to stand still in the doorway for a moment.

Mattie glanced up. “You’re allowed in the kitchen,” she teased. Arthur knew she was trying to ease the awkwardness of a new place, new people, new situation.

“Oh am I?” Arthur responded, returning her smile.

“Do you need something?” Jas asked.

“I was wondering if you had any tea…”

She set down the plates and paused for a moment. “Well we have sweet tea in the fridge, let me see if we have any other types.” She muttered to herself as she raided a couple of cabinets. “Where did I put those…?”

“In the pantry?” Ben suggested. “You’re always puttin’ stuff in there then forgettin’ that’s where ya put it.”

“I do not.” Jas said, but went to the pantry anyway. She searched a couple shelves before producing a box of tea bags. “Here you are dear.”

“Told ya-”

“Shush Ben… We have a kettle somewhere in this kitchen too.” Arthur looked at the assorted tea bags, reading the labels for each. He settled on an Earl Grey, missing his Yorkshire tea already.

After the kettle had been put on, Arthur waited, watching Ben and Mattie shovel down their sandwiches. “You’re not eating anything?” Jas asked, although Arthur noted she wasn’t either.

“I suppose omega stomachs must be smaller,” he said.

“Must be. Ben and Alfred are always eating it seems. Although all the work they do makes them ravenous. I’m used to it- although Matite and Alfred liked to get into these eating competitions all the time. I don’t know how she holds it in. I guess it’s all her height.”

“My brothers are the same way - always eating. Mum and I just sit and watch them clear away the table wondering how they do it.” The kettle whistled. Arthur poured out some water into a mug he’d been offered, letting the tea seep in it now.

“Alfred mentioned you had a lot of siblings. How many was it again?”

“There’s five of us in total.”

“Quite a handful for your mother, I imagine.”

“Yes,” Arthur agreed. “At least she’s got me around to help her some, at least with Peter…” Arthur trailed off. Being together with Alfred meant that, at some point, he would have to leave his family and move out. He wondered how his mother would feel about his absence. He was close to her and she relied on him… He didn’t want her to feel as if he were abandoning her, but… This was to be expected right? Arthur wasn’t supposed to stay at home with his family forever. And what about Alfred? Would they continue to live here?

“What did I miss?” Alfred asked, grinning and practically bounding back into the kitchen.

“We ate the last of the lunch meat,” Mattie retorted, shoving the last bite of sandwich into her mouth and smirking at Alfred.

“What a shame,” he said. “Guess you’ll be makin’ a trip to the store then.”

“No way I went last time!”

“I got a guest Mattie. Who else is gonna give Artie a tour of the farm?”

“I’m perfectly capable of showing him around,” she said then huffed. “Fine fine. Does anyone need anything else while I’m gone? If you can’t think of it now, text me. Trust me, you have time.” She shuffled out of the kitchen, passing by Jas and kissing her on the cheek.

“Can you pick up more milk?” Jas asked, following her out into the hallway.

“The closest store from here is nearly a forty five minute drive,” Alfred explained, winking at Arthur. “Every time we go out we take turns ‘cause no one wants to drive it.”

“We have to stock up as much as we can when we do,” Ben said, then seemed to remember something and headed out of the kitchen. “Jas wait- stop Mattie,” he called out to her.

Arthur and Alfred were left standing together, Alfred having changed clothing and freshly showered. His hair was still damp, and he had a plaid shirt on now, the sleeves rolled up, fitting and suiting him nicely. Alfred grabbed up an apple and offered it to Arthur. “Sure you’re not hungry?”

Arthur shook his head. “You eat the apple,” he said to Alfred. “You’re the one out there doing all that work and heavy lifting.”

“That is true,” he said and took a large bite. “However, before we take a tour of all the places I do that heavy lifting, you might want to change into more suitable shoes.” Arthur looked down at his own, a pair of vans that were a little worn out. “Do you have any tennis shoes? Or boots? It can get kinda muddy since it rained the other day. Don’t want you gettin’ stuck in the mud or dirtyin’ your shoes.”

Arthur wracked his brain. Had he brought tennis shoes? “Um… I’ll go look.”

“Sure thing, Artie.”

Arthur set down his mug and headed out of the kitchen, heading quickly up the stairs. He entered his room, rooting through his suitcase for tennis shoes he hoped he’d packed. He had been warned of course that he was coming to a farm and would need appropriate shoes. It was certainly a difference from having lived in a city all his life. Forty five minutes just to drive to a grocery store? Arthur couldn’t imagine it. He was used to have food markets and such surrounding him. Food places and restaurants on every corner practically.

Fortunately, he had packed his shoe. He switched them quickly, not knowing why he was rushing. They did have a majority of the rest of their day. A day with Alfred. And the more Arthur thought about it, many more days with Alfred to come.

The alpha was at the bottom of the staircase waiting for him when he got back down and opened the door to the front of the house, offering for Arthur to head out. Back onto the porch where the wind chimes twinkled, and then off the porch into the grass they went, Arthur glancing back at Alfred with a small smile on his face, and Alfred returning the look with one of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter five will have more alfred/arthur time


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as promised, alfred/arthur alone time. but not what cher thinking

It was very easy for Arthur to tell he wasn’t cut out for farm work. Not that Alfred had him doing any chores on their tour, but just a combination of trudging through dirt and field with a hot sun beating down on the back of his neck made Arthur realize just how out of shape he actually was. He probably looked like a dying fish caught on the beach, gasping and unable to make its way back to water. The idea of having such a drink was so alluring to the omega that he would have booked it back to the house had he not agreed to this tour. There was also a small fact that the house was now not visible to him anymore and he would surely get lost or quite possibly not make it back.

As the heat grew his irritation grew. Arthur hadn’t put any sunscreen on and knew he would be feeling the effects of that soon. He burned rather easily and was envious of the alpha’s tan and his ability to not be affected by such a heat. Alfred didn’t seem to notice quite yet the state Arthur was in, sweating and practically unbearable. Alfred was chatting away about everything in sight- he had a story for almost every nook and cranny of the farm it seemed. It was nice to listen to but sometimes Alfred’s stories confused him. He’d drop names and terms Arthur wasn’t familiar with and it left Arthur’s mind to wander to how hot and miserable he was feeling. He felt bad for ignoring the alpha but if he wasn’t melting he would have been able to focus more.

After a while, Arthur found them nearing a space of trees that casted an enticing shade over the grass. There was a small bench right in the middle of that shade that looked more like a gift from the heavens to Arthur. Alfred was telling him a time when he’d been playing with, what Arthur assumed, some childhood friends of his. He described a sword fight with sticks and threw in some dialogue, getting to some climatic part which Arthur felt was probably important and the reason Alfred was telling this story but he couldn’t take it any longer.

“Could we please stop?” Arthur interrupted, gaze shifting back and forth between Alfred and the bench.

Alfred paused in his walk and looked at Arthur, pulled away from his story with an expression of confusion. “Stop?” A disheartened look fell across his face and Arthur wondered just how much Alfred had been wanting to tell that story. Surely he could resume after they were sitting down on a bench in the shade where Arthur could rest his aching body. One thing was for sure, when he returned to England, he needed to get into shape. He’d gotten so lazy relying on the bus systems that he barely walked for long distances these days. He should probably also lighten up on the amount of snacks he consumed. If he did end up returning to Alfred and living with him he would probably have to get used to walking a lot. He imagined there wasn’t much to do so far out in the country like this other than spend your time walking your large amount of property. Would he also be expected to learn farm work? Tending to the animals? Crop work?

“Yes. Please just for a moment,” Arthur said.

Alfred’s confusion lasted for a moment longer before it cleared away. “Ah Artie you just want to take a rest. I thought you was talkin’ ‘bout stopping the tour.”

Alfred laughed.

Arthur twitched.

He forced a laugh along with Alfred and shook his head. “No I just wanted to rest for a moment.” Without waiting for Alfred’s say, Arthur charged towards the bench with a new amount of energy that only came at the sight of a place to sit on his ass. He plopped down, leaving enough room for Alfred. The sun was no longer glaring at him and Arthur was actually starting to feel his feet again. As if the world were smiling upon him, a breeze kicked up over the ridge and passed where he sat. Arthur closed his eyes and hummed, not opening them until he felt Alfred sitting down next to him.

The alpha kept a distance but grinned at him.

“How are you likin’ everythin’ Artie?”

“Well… it’s definitely a lot of land.”

“Well you’re right about that. We’re close to the stable though. I had the chicken coup back there but I was thinking you’d rather see the horses first. Maybe if we ride ‘em around it’ll make it easier cause you’re right, we do got a lot of land. Although I don’t think we’ll make it out to the brook today- we can save that fer a later time ya know? Also are you allergic to cats or anythin’ cause the stables got a mama with her babies and I ain’t wanna take ya round her if you’ll get all sneezy on me,” he chuckled. “Also Ma was wonderin’ if ya like gardenin’ cause she’s got a small flower and vegetable garden of her own and when Pa and I are out here she and Mattie like to work on it. I didn’t know if ya liked that kind of thing.”

Arthur wondered if, uninterrupted, Alfred would and could continue on talking forever. Of course, Alfred had always been submitting long amounts of texts over chats on the site when they’d talked before. In addition, they hadn’t really had a moment of solitude since he’d arrived. Arthur thought he would have been more nervous but in reality he was just tired and annoyed. He wasn’t even trying to keep his scent in check, knowing if Alfred was paying attention even the slightest bit he’d know something was up with Arthur. He wasn’t saying or asking anything though which Arthur wondered if he was doing out of politeness or because he didn’t really care to.

Although, Arthur couldn’t just always rely on others to read his scent and figure out how he felt all the time could he? Had to pull his own weight.

“I’m not allergic to cats. I have one of my own at home as well. But only as a very, very small window box garden. It’s harder to grow vegetables in such a small space so I only have a few flowers. I wouldn’t mind helping your mother garden. She won’t let me do any other chores in the house, although I feel it’s the least I could do since I’m staying in your home.”

“That’s awesome you never showed me any pics of your flowers. Of course, I ain’t seen much else of your home. You should send me pics when you go back home, Artie. I wanna see your cat too. What’s its name?”

“Her name is Pudding. What all would I even take pics of?”

“Pudding?” Alfred smiled. “That’s really cute.”

“I was young,” Arthur defended himself.

“Sure sure. But yeah I wanna see like your house and family and whatnot. I mean I showed ya some pics I’m sure I just…” Alfred shrugged, trailing off.

Arthur didn’t even know where his family’s camera was or how to get the pictures from the camera to his computer. Assuming the two weeks went well, he would have to figure it out. He hadn’t even thought of sending Alfred pictures of his cat or home- would he want to see his bedroom? Arthur didn’t know if it was normal to be curious of such things. “There’s just a lot of books.”

Alfred raised an eyebrow. “In your house?”

“In my bedroom. I have two bookcases wall to wall.”

“You did say ya liked reading. What’s your favorite book? Though I probably don’t know it,” Alfred laughed.

“That’s a hard question Alfred, completely unfair,” Arthur pouted.

“There’s gotta be one you’ve read more than all the others.”

“Well then what’s your favorite food?”

“Now you’re not being fair Artie,” he said, but laughed about it anyway. His voice carried on the air, a wind rustling the leaves above them. Arthur had cooled down considerably and was glad for the pause in their walk, but his legs and feet were still sore. He dreaded leaving the shade and considered how long he’d have to wait here before it turned to evening. He didn’t think Alfred would be too keen on sitting here for the rest of the day though.

“I feel like I did this tour all backwards,” Alfred sighed,, resting back a bit and stretching his legs out in front of him. He let his head loll backwards, looking up through the gaps in the leaves and squinting as bits of white sun came peeking through. “I shoulda let you look at the chicken coups and the garden ya know and then taken you all the way out here tomorrow. I heard it’s supposed to be a bit rainy these next couple of days. Hoped it was gonna be sunny for you.”

“Chickens?”

“Yea you know the little clucky birds-”

“I know what they are. I just meant, well, I haven’t heard or seen any of them around.”

“Oh well, I’m sure you will. They can be little bastards sometimes though, little devils so I’d watch out for them if were ya.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Arthur responded, glancing at the bark of the tree nearest to them and watching an ant crawl up it.

“Were ya ready to move on to our next stop? Need me to carry ya?”

“W-what no,” Arthur sputtered, turning red and immediately standing up. “I can walk, what makes you think I can’t?”

“You’ve been looking a little tired there. I ain’t expect an omega like ya to be accustomed to farms.”

“An omega like me?” Yes it was true he had been more tired than he’d cared to admit and he was sadly out of shape but he still felt the need to defend himself. He didn’t like when alphas went around assuming just because he was an omega he couldn’t do certain things. He hadn’t been expecting it from someone like Alfred. “I’m just jet lagged still,” Arthur protested, huffing and crossing his arms. “Now are we going?”

“Well all I’m sayin’ is you’re not from a farm so you wouldn’t be used to walkin’ round one. Ya said ya hadn’t been on one before,” Alfred said, putting up his hands in defense a bit. He looked like he wanted to calm Arthur down but remained sitting. Arthur stood in front of him, angered and also slightly horrified at himself. He’d reacted too strongly. Surely Alfred would see how crazy he was now. Arthur felt he’d ruined his chances and his image all at once.

“We can go Artie I just don’t want ya pushin’ yourself ‘cause ya feel the need to prove something to me.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything. I don’t-”

“-want me thinking that ‘cause you’re an omega ya can’t do the things I can do?” Alfred raised an eyebrow and stood slowly, stretching on his one leg and rubbing at it for a moment. “Well, you can’t do some of the things I can do but it’s not ‘cause you’re an omega, it’s just ‘cause you weren’t raised a farm boy. Ya know what else? I can’t do things ya can, Artie.”

Arthur’s anger dissipated only slightly, now focused more at himself. He felt like a prick. He held his tongue, refraining from making any snappish retorts. He hadn’t meant to ruin their time together and didn’t know what to say or how to explain.

“I’m sorry…” Arthur clenched his fists, keeping his gaze on the ground, not wanting to meet Alfred’s eyes or see what a disappointed expression he must have.

Alfred stepped up to Arthur, and Arthur flinched, not able to help himself. Alfred hesitated then softly lifted Arthur’s chin so their eyes met now; Alfred’s somewhat obscured by a glint in his glasses that flashed briefly.

“I’m sorry too Artie. I’m sorry other alphas probably make you feel like less for bein’ an omega. It’s not how that’s supposed to be.” Arthur eye’s widened a bit. Alfred was apologizing to him? He wasn’t mad at Arthur? “I wasn’t tryin’ to insult ya honest. I really want ya to be safe and happy while you’re here and if it means I gotta carry ya across the entire farm I would do it.”

Arthur wanted to lower his gaze but he couldn’t. Curse Alfred’s calloused yet gentle hand now cupping his cheek, brushing his jaw line. Curse the intimacy Arthur felt, standing close to Alfred, breezes ruffling their shirts and seemingly trying to push Arthur closer to Alfred. He remembered the way Alfred had leaned in the other night to kiss him on the cheek and held back a flush from the thought. Curse Alfred’s gorgeous body and face and the way he was smiling at Artie now like they were…

“There’s no need for that now,” Arthur said quietly with a small smile.

Alfred grinned more, brushing his thumb once more before pulling away his hand. He offered it to Arthur and they intertwined their fingers as Arthur accepted. Alfred led Arthur along, keeping him close to his side, their hands gently swinging between them. The sun was more bearable now, Arthur not sure if it was because he had cooled down or if it was because he couldn’t think to focus on anything but Alfred’s hand and the way it felt holding his.

“You said there were three horses? Not four?” Arthur asked, breaking the silence of their walk, curious to know why Alfred’s father didn’t have one as well. He could see a stable now, could pick up a familiar scent of horses. He’d ridden horses and competed when he was younger. It’d gotten to be fairly expensive and with the more brothers his family piled on, the more the fees had to be shifted to other needs. Arthur missed it all but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.

“My father’s horse passed away. It was quite a while ago so we’re all mostly okay about it now. He loved him though so he’s never thought ‘bout gettin’ another one. Horses are a lot of work I’m sure ya know.”

Arthur nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that. And your horse?”

“Good ol’ Almonds,” Alfred said sheepishly, seemingly embarrassed at the name.

“It appears we both like naming our pets after food,” Arthur teased, watching Alfred get flustered now. He appreciated the fact that the alpha could blush too, finding it endearing. He wondered, if he kissed Alfred on the cheek, would he blush even more?”

“Mattie’s is Pistachio, and our Ma’s is Halo. We tried to convince her to name him Peanut but she got hers before us so she wouldn’t budge.”

Alfred had to let go of Arthur’s hand to open a gate in the fence. Alongside the fence down to the right was the stable, the doors thrown open wide. Arthur could see out across the field two of the three horses grazing. The horses grazing were a whittish tan and a deep reddish brown. Arthur assumed the tanner one was Pistachio, her color resembling that of the nut. Alfred brought his fingers up to his lips and let out a piercing whistle that Arthur was sure you could probably hear back at the house. The two of them lifted their heads, ears flicking in Alfred’s direction. They didn’t move though, and that’s when Arthur saw the bay colored and white spotted Shire horse with white feathered socks coming towards them. It must have been Almonds. Arthur felt the name suited the horse perfectly. She was lovely, and powerful, as she moved slowly right up to the two of them- well more so right up to Alfred. He greeted her happily, petting her face and pressing his forehead right up against her. Arthur could hear him murmuring what a good girl she was.

Arthur was used to lighter and smaller horses that were bred and made for racing. It was clear that she was a farm horse, made for pulling and work.

“Shucks girl I forgot to bring ya some bananas and carrots. Let’s see if we left any treats in the stables,” Alfred said. He motioned for Arthur to come closer, grinning at him. “No need to be shy, she’s very calm.”

Arthur moved over to Alfred’s side. She was even bigger up close. Arthur let her size him up before attempting to pet her. She pushed her head into his hand and he smiled at her, running his hands softly along her face and neck. “She’s absolutely beautiful,” he murmured. He wanted to bury his face into the side of her neck but figured she might be spooked by the motion. He hadn’t been around horses for a long while and it only made him miss his own even more.

“She’s not good for riding around too long unfortunately. Just about an hour if you’re really pushing it but more if you’re lax. Although, you’re so small I can’t imagine she’d even feel your weight.”

“Oh shush,” Arthur commented. There was no real malice to his words, he was too much in adoration of Almonds and how pretty and friendly she seemed. Arthur would have pictured a rather faster and more intense horse for Alfred, but this laid back old girl was even more perfect. And she seemed well loved.

Alfred led them over, Almonds following along with just a hand motion from Alfred. She was a smart girl then as well. Alfred rooted through a drawer inside the stable, pulling out a carrot and handing it to Arthur. “Why don’t you give it to her?”

Arthur offered the carrot on his palm, feeling her tongue lap as she grabbed it up into her mouth and chewed it. Arthur praised her as she did. He was pleased, having always loved feeding his and the other horses when he had the chance.

“There’s something else I wanted you to see.” Alfred took Arthur’s hand again and it made Arthur’s flutter a bit (something he wasn’t accustomed to quite yet), and led him towards the back of the stable and to a ladder that led up to a loft. Arthur went up first, Alfred watching him before ascending himself. In the back of the loft were some blankets. Arthur heard the soft mewl of kittens before he saw them. The mother was curled up against the back wall, some kittens fighting for a spot. She paid him and Alfred little mind as they got closer, sitting down on their knees. “She just gave birth to ‘em a couple weeks ago, so they’ve finally got their eyes and all ya know but… Little rascals are a handful. Ma wants to get em all to the vet when she can and get em neutered so we can sell ‘em off.”

Some of the kittens had noticed Arthur and Alfred sitting there and began to squeal as they padded over the blanket towards them. Arthur melted, positive he was about as happy as could be. He missed Pudding but still, being surrounded by small kittens was definitely an opportunity he did not want to pass up. One of them, smaller than the rest, bumped into Arthur’s leg. Arthur gently pat it, scooping the kitten up very slowly into his hands, making sure it was properly supported. “He’s the worst of the rascals, always gettin’ into trouble.”

“Well he is a kitten after all,” Arthur said, nuzzling his nose against the kitten’s. Alfred was grinning, a dopey smile on his face as he watched.

“What is it?”

“Nothin’. Ya’ll just look mighty cute together.”

Arthur frowned at him.

“Do you want one of ‘em?”

“What?” Alfred was offering him a kitten?

“Ya don’t have to accept I just thought… Well, as a present… sort of… I don’t know,” he trailed off, a bit shy. “I wanted to give you somethin’ Artie when you got here but I couldn’t think of what. I realize now that a kitten’s a bit of a handful, I didn’t even think… Sorry Artie.”

Arthur had considered for a while of getting a playmate for Pudding. He didn’t think she would be adverse to it. Although, now that he thought of it…

“I’d love to but I’m not very sure taking him back would be the best… Countries quarantine animals and… Well… It’s a very lovely thought, Alfred but…” Arthur reached out and took Alfred’s hand, holding it in both of his own. “Thank you…”

“Yeah I figured… Thanks Artie…” Alfred smiled.

They played with the kittens for a while longer before Alfred suggested they finish up the rest of the tour. “Did ya want to ride the horses today Artie or save that for another day? We could always ride ‘em over to the brook like I mentioned,” Alfred asked while climbing down the ladder.

“To be honest I’d prefer another time. I’m… starting to get hungry…” Arthur hadn’t eaten since breakfast and was starting to feel it. Especially with all the walking around they’d done.

“No problem. Let’s get ya back to the house and get some food in ya,” Alfred said as Arthur started to descend the ladder. He was about halfway down when he missed a rung and felt his foot slip. He fell maybe a few inches when suddenly hands were on his waist, a strong grip pulling him off the ladder and into Alfred’s arms, now cradled in a bridal hold. “That was close,” Alfred said, looking worried. “Are you alright Artie?”

“I’m fine,” Arthur responded, a bit breathless and still in shock from having almost fallen off a ladder and now being carried in Alfred’s arms. God did he have big biceps or was that just the way his sleeves stretched? Arthur’s hand was on his chest, solid and warm and with a sound heartbeat thrumming under his hand.

Alfred looked relieved. “Make sure ya don’t go off on your own round the farm too often. It can get real dangerous easily.” He set Arthur back down and led him out of the stables. Almonds was still there by the entrance and she nuzzled up to Alfred once more as he said his goodbyes, promising to visit her again. He and Arthur exited the gate, making sure it was properly shut. Hand in hand once more, they headed back to the house.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> isnt it amazing that i wrote this and yet i cannot remember anything that has happened in it?

Arthur hadn’t expected Alfred’s comments on the chickens being assholes to actually be true, but upon arriving back at the main house area they’d detoured briefly to the chicken coup where a chicken had promptly come straight for the two of them, wings outstretched and pissed. Arthur didn’t know what the chicken was so pissed about but he’d decided to back up rather quickly and let Alfred handle the angry bird. Mattie had seen them and now was standing next to Arthur, having gotten back from her trip to the grocery store. She was laughing loudly as Alfred got chased around, the other hens and such clucking in slight panic. Arthur would have thought it was quite comical too had the chicken not given up on Alfred and come at him again. He jumped behind Mattie in shock, watching as Alfred grabbed up the chicken at the last moment.

“Who pissed this bird off so much?” Arthur asked, peeking out from behind Mattie.

“She’s always been like this,” she said. “No matter what we try she’s got a fighting spirit that’s for sure. She’s probably also paranoid because you’re a stranger to her.” Mattie sighed and crossed her arms. “Stupid bird.”

Alfred joined them shortly afterwards with a quick “go” and it didn’t take much more for Arthur to turn and make his way quickly back to the house. Mattie trailed beside them, poking fun at Alfred and asking him if he had any battle wounds from his fight with the hen.

“Got me a peck on my fingers,” he grinned. “Suppose I don’t mind it as much ‘cause I was protectin’ my omega and all.”

Arthur nearly tripped. Alfred had called called him his omega? He tried not to think on it too much although that was nearly impossible. He couldn’t help but feel a sort of pleased emotion at the words, and a hopefulness that it meant Alfred wanted to keep him around. At least for now. His feelings could change by the end of the two weeks. Mattie teased Alfred more about how he was so courageous and should be awarded a medal for his effort, which led to a story of how Arthur won a medal for his middle school science fair because he’d been the only one to enter in his grade.

“I can’t believe you were the only one who entered,” Mattie snorted, laughing to herself and shaking her head. “When I was younger Al and I did one of those fake bull riding contests and I was the only kid to stay on longer than 30 seconds. The guy told mom I looked like a monkey, clinging to that thing and refusing to let go. It’s all in the legs you know.”

“I barely lasted two seconds,” Alfred chuckled. They all stepped up onto the porch, Mattie getting the door for Arthur and Alfred and letting them back into the cool of the house. Arthur was parched and hungry and somehow Jas was psychic or something along the sorts because she was standing in kitchen with tall glasses of fresh and cold lemonade. The sweetness and the tartness of the lemonade made Arthur itch to grab a glass but he hesitated.

“I saw you kids walking back towards the house. I know it’s hot out, here sweetie.” Jas handed a glass over to Arthur. If he could have he would have pressed the glass to the back of his neck. He was sweaty and wished he’d waited to shower until after the tour.

“This is amazing,” Arthur said, after having downed nearly half the glass.

“Mom’s lemonade always is,” Mattie said. “Told her she should set up at the end of the driveway with a stand.”

“Nobody ever passes by here, she wouldn’t make much,” Alfred commented.

“I would pay her,” Mattie said. “Run her stand out of lemonade too.”

Jas laughed softly and shook her head at Mattie. “I’m not going to charge my children for lemonade.” She gently patted Mattie’s arm and smiled at the three of them. “So I assume at least one of you is hungry and that’s why you’re here?”

“That someone would be Artie,” Alfred grinned, kissing her cheek. ““I’ll be back in a second,” he said, heading out of the kitchen.

“And I’ll be in my room if you all need me,” Mattie said.

“All right sweeties,” Jas said, watching them both leave the room before directing her attention to Arthur, the only one left. “I should have sent some snacks with you on your tour,” she said. “What sounds good to you?”

“I‘ll just have a piece of fruit,” Arthur said as Alfred walked back into the kitchen, wiping a towel over his face. Arthur didn’t know when dinner would be and he didn’t want to spoil his appetite. It was later in the afternoon at this point, their tour having taken up a good portion of the day. Arthur wondered if Alfred had anything else planned for the evening but if he did he hadn’t said anything. Arthur figured most of their time spent together would be playing it by ear, seeing what they felt like doing or what the weather allowed them.

“A piece of fruit ain’t gonna do much for ya Artie,” Alfred commented, pausing and glancing his way, looking at him like he was sizing him up. “You sit there at the end of the island and I’ll make ya a proper lunch.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Alfred cut him off, already opening the fridge.

Arthur huffed slightly and Jas smiled at him as if she understood. He took a seat anyway, his feet happy for the rest.

“Your family owns a lot of property,” Arthur commented absentmindedly, just trying to strike up a conversation in the quiet of the kitchen. A wind chime rang in the background and Arthur heard the creak of footsteps from upstairs. It was something he’d observed on their long walk, and they hadn’t even made it over the whole property. For the size of the farm, they had to be making enough money to run it. They didn’t appear to be spending their money lavishly though, if their lack of electronics and other such aspects had any say in the matter.

“It was passed down from Alfred’s grandfather,” Jas said, taking a seat next to him with a lemonade of her own. Arthur was still cupping his in his hands, letting the sweat cool them off. “And his grandfather got it from his own father and so on.”

“It’s been in the family for a lot of generations then.” Arthur was impressed and curious. “It will pass to Alfred next?”

Jas didn’t speak for a moment. “That depends on if Alfred wants to continue it or not.” Arthur looked up at Alfred who was cutting up a loaf of bread. He didn’t say anything and Arthur wondered if it’s because he hadn’t heard or if this was a topic that wasn’t well received in their household. Arthur knew of other families whose kids refused to take over the family business and watched them struggle with their parents. Arthur tried to picture Alfred and Ben getting into arguments over the farm. But Alfred had seemed to love living here a lot, at least it felt that way to Arthur. What reason would he have for not wanting to take over it?

Alfred hadn’t ever mentioned anything about not liking work on the farm. And besides some odd dreams like traveling and such, he hadn’t ever mentioned wanting to leave the farm to pursue some other career. Arthur wasn’t about to delve into the topic since it seemed it was an uncomfortable one for them so he tried to think of something else to say.

“Alfred mentioned that you had a garden… I saw it the other day but didn’t get a chance to look too carefully. I have a few plants of my own, although I don’t have enough yard to start a garden. I was wondering if I could help you with that.”

“That would be wonderful,” Jas smiled. “I think Mattie’s been wanting to focus more on her music and school work so instead of me dragging her out to help I’ll just let her know you’ll be taking her place.”

“I-I don’t want to intrude or anything if that’s the time you spend together…”

“Not at all,” Jas said. “I’d love to have you help in the garden. I know some of the vegetables will be ready soon. I like to use them when I cook if I can.”

“I bet they taste delicious.”

Jas chatted to him about her vegetables and the great attack of bugs that ruined her garden one year. Arthur watched Alfred carefully prepare a sandwich and slice up some fruit on the side. When he set it in front of Arthur his mouth was watering, the sandwich looking like it had come from a restaurant instead of just someone’s home kitchen.

“Eat up Artie. Ma will work ya to death in her garden and it’s better if ya got a lot of food in ya,” Alfred said, grinning. His mother slid off the stool she’d been. “Your father and I have to go into town for some errands and supplies from the tool store Alfred. The barn door has been screwing up again recently,” she said. “No matter how many times your father tries to fix it.” She rolled her eyes and ran a hand through Alfred’s hair. “When we return I’ll start preparing dinner. Is there anything you’re in the mood for Arthur? Have you thought of anything you don’t like?”

Arthur shook his head. “Really everything I’ve eaten here so far is delicious so I can’t imagine you’ll make anything I’ll dislike.”

Jas laughed. “I see,” she said. “Well I’ll keep it in mind. Anyway, I’ll leave you two to talk.” She headed out of the kitchen, Alfred calling out a goodbye to her and taking a seat next to Arthur.

Arthur took a tentative bite, aware Alfred was watching to gauge for his reaction. Everything tasted amazing, of course. Although Arthur knew sometimes things tended to taste better when you were as hungry as he was. Alfred had also cut up an apple that appeared to have something on it.

“Is this honey?” Arthur asked.

“Sure is.”

Arthur took a bite, the sweetness of the honey mixing with the sweet and tart of the apple. He savored the taste. He’d had apples with peanut butter but never with honey before. Of course, Arthur had a bit of a sweet tooth so the honey and apple tasted wonderful. He took another slice and ate that too.

“We have a bee farmer nearby that we get honey from. I got to go there once a few years ago. It’s crazy the girl gets her beekeeper suit on and then gets swarmed with all these bees. I’d be terrified if I was her.”

“I agree,” Arthur said with a nod. He couldn’t imagine being covered in bees, even if he was in a suit.

“She says they’re as gentle as can be. I don’t mind bees and all they do a lot but I still ain’t wanna be around ‘em much. I know Mattie when she was little disturbed a nest of theirs.”

Arthur cringed at the image. “Was she all right?”

“Stung all over the place but she survived. Our parents weren’t together then so I don’t really know the whole story. You’ll have to ask her sometime.”

“I’ve never been stung by a bee before,” Arthur admitted.

“Really? Never in your whole life? Not even a sweat bee?”

“Never,” Arthur said, shaking his head. “To be honest I don’t go outside a lot. I burn easily and I don’t like how red it makes my skin. Also gives me too many freckles on my neck and shoulders.”

“The freckles are cute Artie,” Alfred smiled at him.

Arthur flushed and frowned. “Not cute at all.”

“I think they are. I’m surprised you haven’t been stung though, since you smell so sweet and all. Well, maybe the bees think you’re honey.”

Arthur flushed and frowned even more and watched as Alfred laughed at his reaction. “It’s most likely only sweet because of all the candies and desserts I eat.”

“I noticed you have a bit of a sweet tooth so that’s why I thought the honey was a good idea. Seems I was right.” Alfred looked smug and proud of himself.

Arthur didn’t know what to say, cheeks burning. He tried to wrack his brain for anything Alfred might have told him in their online chats so he could tease him back. He couldn’t just read things off of Alfred’s scent as easily.

“I may have a bit of a sweet tooth-”

“A bit?”

“Shush,” Arthur countered, poking at him. “But I know for a fact that you, farm boy, tear up during romantic movies.”

It was Alfred’s turn to look embarrassed now. “Everybody cries at sad and sappy stuff. Keep it down though Artie. I can’t let Mattie hear ya or she’ll start makin’ fun of me again ‘bout it. I can’t help it ya know that.”

“You told me you cried during The Sixth Sense,” Arthur giggled.

“The kid was telling his ma what her dead ma thought of her! That’s heart wrenching material right there. Anyone would cry.”

“But it’s The Sixth Sense,” Alfred. “A horror movie more… Speaking of which, that’s another thing you hate. Why did you watch it?”

Alfred raised his hands. “All right all right I get it. And it was Mattie’s idea and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Ya got your payback now though, Artie.” He was scolding Arthur lightly but smiling all the same.

Arthur smiled gently back at him.

“I think it’s sweet,” Arthur said, and looked away down at the last half of his sandwich. “It’s sweet that you have a soft spot like that… And that you’re willing to admit to me you don’t like scary movies even though all the other alphas I know like to boast about how courageous they are.” Alfred didn’t say anything for a moment and Arthur took another bite. He was fuller now but he didn’t want to waste anything so he was determined to finish his sandwich.

“Thanks Artie,” Alfred said.

Arthur glanced his way. Alfred’s expression was serious, looking like he wanted to say something more. Arthur raised an eyebrow at him.

“There’s uh… there’s something I gotta tell you Artie, but later tonight. I ain’t wanna bring it up now. I think once you’re finished up we can relax since I’ve been walking you all over the farm. We’ve been talkin’ ‘bout movies now so what do ya think about watching one?”

“I like watching movies,” Arthur said. Although now his mind was on what Alfred had said. He wanted to tell him something, but what? Arthur felt nervous but pushed back the emotion. He didn’t want Alfred picking up any worry on his scent. He hoped that whatever it was Alfred had to say, it wasn’t him telling Arthur to pack his bag and leave.

“Ya finish your sandwich first though.”

“I will, I will,” Arthur replied, taking another bite just to prove he would.

Alfred grinned at him then looked out the window. Arthur followed his gaze, watching the sun burn blue and white into the sky, and seeing wind ruffle the leaves at the top of the trees. A bird fluttered by the window, brief and dark. Arthur shifted his gaze to look at the profile of Alfred’s face now. Strong jaw, beautiful blue eyes shifting as they watched the birds fly around, and soft looking lips. Arthur wondered what it would be like to kiss such lips, wondering if they were as warm and if they tasted like Alfred smelled. Not wanting to be caught looking, Arthur looked quickly away, and finished eating his sandwich.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you take away anything from this fic, it's- don't piss off chickens
> 
> enjoy more fluff

Arthur liked to curl up on the couch with a blanket and watch movies, old classics, romantic tales, and occasionally the nature or history channel specials. His tastes had been referred to as boring or typical by his brothers. They preferred slapstick comedies and violent-laden action movies which made Arthur cringe at times. Sitting on Alfred’s couch now, Arthur watched the alpha move towards his shelf of VHS tapes. It was a rather large collection; Arthur could even pick out the three movie set Titanic and wondered if that was something Jas or Mattie liked to watch. A good majority of omegas had a soft spot for romantic movies, but Arthur didn’t think that would be a good choice for Alfred and him to watch. Alfred had told him to pick anything he wanted and was pulling off a few from the shelf so Arthur could see them more closely. There was a surprising amount of Disney movies, all of which Alfred made small comments on as he passed them over to Arthur.

“Watched this too many times as a child,” he chuckled, handing the movie Peter Pan to Arthur. “Always wanted to fly ya know? Be like one of ‘em lost boys off on an adventure. Always made Pa be Hook.”

Arthur smiled, trying to imagine a young, mischievous Alfred claiming he was Peter Pan and attempting to fly about the room.

“You wanna be my Wendy?” Alfred asked, and Arthur had to roll his eyes at that. “Ya got the accent already.”

“Naturally having the accent qualifies me.”

“Naturally,” Alfred repeated, his own thick southern accent rolling out the word. Arthur had to wonder why anyone said American Southern accents were horrid things to listen to. How could that be the case when Alfred was proof against that? Arthur could just listen to Alfred talk him right to sleep. The way his voice deepened when he said specific words was incredibly endearing.

He flipped quietly through a couple other movies until he found 101 Dalmations in his hands and made a small sound at it. Alfred looked up. “That one?” he guessed.

“Ah no we don’t have to, I just haven’t seen it in a very long time. My brother accidentally broke our only copy of it and I haven’t seen it since then.”

“That one it is then,” Alfred smiled, standing up from where he’d been squatting. He rubbed at his leg for a moment then moved slowly over to Arthur. They got the movie into the player and then settled themselves at a comfortable distance from one another on the couch. Arthur felt silence settle over them once more. He didn’t know what to say, no conversations he could think of, and vaguely wondered if Alfred noticed their legs were close to touching.

Arthur also wondered if Jas and Ben had already left like she said they were going to, but he didn’t know where Mattie had gone off to. Today had been a day of being pretty much alone with Alfred through the majority of it. Despite all the horrible things Arthur could have imagined going wrong with today, it had been going more smoothly than he’d predicted. He was sure he would have messed up more so- said something rude or offensive or gone off on Alfred. Or even the opposite. Although, Alfred hadn’t done much to really anger Arthur. He wasn’t used to being taken care of as much as Alfred saw to him now, so that was taking a little bit to get used to that. But he knew Alfred wasn’t trying to be rude to him by any means, so there was no real reason to get angry with him.

They situated themselves more into the couch as the movie began to play, familiar scenes of the meeting between the main couple and their dogs playing on the screen of the old television.

“I’ve always wanted a dog,” Arthur commented. Alfred glance over at him.

“We had one when we were younger but she was old and passed away. It was quite a long time ago so not anything recent,” Alfred said.

“My mother’s always turned down any of our requests to get a dog. Taking care of one can be time consuming and she already has a lot of children to care for so I don’t blame her. I still have my cat after all.”

Arthur wondered if Pudding was curled up on his bed while he was away, wondering where her owner was. He hoped that Peter wasn’t tormenting her. He liked to pick her up when she didn’t want to be held and promptly ignored her cries for help. Arthur had, on more than one occasion, had to rush to her aid and pull her from his arms.

“Maybe one day,” Alfred smiled. He looked at Arthur for a moment longer and Arthur raised an eyebrow at him.

“What kind of dog would ya want? I’m trying to picture ya walking a big old german shepherd. That dog would probably drag ya everywhere.”

Arthur folded his arms and huffed. “It would not…I’ll have you know my uncle’s dog is a lab and I have no problems taking her for walks. Now pay attention to the movie,” he grumbled.

“Right well a dog like her is probably tamed well an all.”

“If I were to get a dog I would make sure it was most certainly well tamed and trained,”

Arthur said.

Arthur was trying to remain composed but he couldn’t help from imagining such a domestic scenario. Alfred and him living here on the farm, with their large dog running around the backyard, and perhaps some children… His cheeks heated. Now he was getting way ahead of himself. Alfred and him were of course agreeing to be mates, but the decision was still unclear. The end of two weeks was still a long way away it seemed. Arthur realized he’d never asked Alfred if he wanted kids or how he felt about having children. Did he want only one kid? Multiple children? He would have to bring it up at some point but now probably wasn’t the best time.

This thought process that led Arthur to start thinking that having children meant they would have to mate and have sex and most likely when Arthur was in heat… Arthur was doing his best now not to look at Alfred or imagine him and Alfred having sex but he could not deny that being with an alpha like Alfred would probably feel amazing. Those large and warm hands holding him close while he-

“Whatcha thinkin’ bout Artie?” Alfred asked curiously, looking his way.

Arthur tried to hold back his blush. “Nothing nothing, just… random thoughts- it’s really nothing.” He pretended he was focused on the TV screen and the movie and nothing else. He didn’t think Alfred bought it. The alpha could probably smell the arousal, or at least the interest, on Arthur’s scent easily. He was glad he didn’t press the matter any further though. It gave Arthur some time to reflect on the fact he couldn’t just go and think about Alfred that way when he was around…

“Are you comfortable?”

“Hm? Oh yes, quite,” Arthur responded. He did wish he had a blanket however. He’d cooled down enough that he was starting to get cold again in the air conditioned home. Alfred was probably a walking heater so he wouldn’t be cold so easily. More time passed slowly, Arthur getting colder and sleepier. He had brought his legs up to curl close to himself, resting against the arm of the couch. Periodically, Arthur could see Alfred blatantly looking at him instead of looking at the TV screen. Sometimes Arthur would glance towards him, and Alfred would look away quickly. It seemed like the awkwardness had somewhat come back between the two of them. Here they were acting like high schoolers who were on their first “movie date”.

“Is there something you need?” Arthur finally asked, after Alfred had looked at him again.

“Ah well…” Alfred ran a hand through his hair, flustered, and looking at the movie as he spoke. “If you uh… wanna… you know uh… If you get sleepy you uh… can use me… And uh… you seem kinda cold and I… well… yeah…”

“Use you?” Arthur asked.

“Geez ya know like… a pillow. Here ah-” Alfred reached over, hooking an arm around Arthur’s waist, and practically lifted him as he moved Arthur right next to him. Any space left between them was now gone, Arthur leaned into Alfred’s side. He was fitted under his arm, Alfred’s still wrapped around him.

“O-oh,” he gasped, understanding what Alfred had meant now.

“Uh sorry!” Alfred raised his arm up to let Arthur go free.

Arthur didn’t move though, the heat and the comfort of Alfred’s body too welcoming. He’d felt him earlier when Alfred had caught him off the ladder and now… Arthur silently prayed none of Alfred’s family members would walk in then. It wasn’t as if they were doing anything wrong but he did feel it was rather intimate. In all the romance novels and films he’d ever seen or read he’d felt a longing to cuddle with an alpha and now that he had the chance he was acting like a bumbling idiot.

“I-it’s alright,” Arthur reassured, settling more against Alfred, although the two of them were still tense. Alfred lowered his arm again, looking all too pleased. Arthur wondered if he was too bony or if this was uncomfortable for Alfred. It was all he could focus on- that and how Alfred’s chest gently rose and fell as he breathed. He was warm and hard but comfortable. Arthur nervously looked between the alpha and the TV.

“Relax,” Alfred murmured. He gently ran a hand down Arthur’s arm in a comforting motion. “We might as well get comfortable being around one another while you’re here right?”

Arthur nodded, shyly resting his head against Alfred’s chest.

His omega instincts soared, extremely pleased to be pressed up to an alpha he cared about. Alfred was still tracing his fingers gently and aimlessly down his arm, making Arthur more relaxed. It felt too good to cuddle up to him, and the strength and reassurance of Alfred’s scent washed down over him.

“Have you done this before?” Arthur asked quietly.

Alfred shook his head. “Ain’t been with an omega like this before ya.”

“Really?” Arthur was surprised.

“When ya live in the middle of nowhere not too many omegas wanna come home to cuddle with ya,” Alfred chuckled gently.

“They’re missing out,” Arthur said. “You’re quite the heater.”

Alfred laughed again, a bit louder this time.

“I see… using me for my warmth then?”

It was true that Arthur no longer needed blanket, but he also found himself growing sleepy. “Exactly. Just for your warmth,” he teased.

“Well, little ice cube, it’s all yours,” Alfred murmured, brushing a hand through Arthur’s hair.

Arthur blushed. “Not an ice cube,” he responded, pinching Alfred in order to distract himself from how taken he was with the alpha at this point. When he’d signed up online and had met Alfred, he would never expected to actually meet him and get to lay against him on the alpha’s couch in his home while watching a movie together. It was all too real and Arthur wanted more.

He sighed and closed his eyes, finding it hard to stay awake. He didn’t know how much longer he managed to stay awake, but he eventually did doze off against Alfred. He woke up some time later when he heard movement in the hallway.

“Oh s-sorry,” a soft voice said. He groggily recognized it as Mattie but she wasn’t there when he finally managed to open his eyes. The credits were rolling, the room darker now that the sun had gone down past the tree line. Alfred was still, aside from his soft breathing.

Arthur stirred and Alfred let him sit up.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he whispered, not knowing why he was talking so quietly.

“I expected it anyway. Ya sleep well darlin’?” Alfred reached over and gently brushed some hair from Arthur’s cheek. Arthur tucked his head down and nodded.

“My pillows softer than you but… you’re quite warmer than it.”

“Oh? I competin’ with your pillow then?”

“Yes. It’s a reliable pillow.”

“Well I’d like to think I’m a reliable alpha,” Alfred mused, sitting up and stretching. He grinned at Arthur before reaching over to ruffle the omega’s probably already messed up hair.

Arthur swatted at his hands, trying to push them away. “Hey!”

“Ya gonna admit defeat Artie?”

Arthur grabbed at Alfred’s hands, frustrated, and tried to push them away but ended up only really shoving himself forward onto Alfred. The alpha fell back on the couch, wrapping his arms around Arthur’s waist. Arthur glared down at him.

“I think I’ve won now,” he said, not bothering to pull away. It felt more natural to be this close to Alfred now.

“Mm…” Alfred looked up at him, a warm and lazy smile on his face. “You’re real beautiful Artie.”

Arthur’s eyes widened and he tried to sit up but Alfred’s arms trapped him there. “Shut it,” he said, a bit of anger in his voice. They’d gone over this before.

“Always wanted to tell ya in person. Online was never enough ya know?”

“Alfred,” Arthur warned.

“What? I’m really only telling the truth.”

“You know I don’t like that.”

“Being complimented?” Alfred frowned. “How am I supposed to woo you then?”

“The sandwich you made earlier was a lovely example.”

Alfred sighed. “I ain’t gonna stop tellin ya you’re pretty Artie.” He let Arthur go though so they could both sit up.

Arthur got off the couch and watched Alfred do the same, but a bit more slowly. His eyes trailed down to Alfred’s leg, wishing he could just know why Alfred sometimes rubbed at it and why it seemed to be painful. Had he injured it? In sports perhaps?

Alfred turned off the TV and VHS player, putting everything away. Arthur helped him clean up and put the movies back in place on the shelf. When they were done Arthur excused himself upstairs to the bathroom. He splashed some cool water on himself, toweling it dry and looking at himself in the mirror. He didn’t know what to make of himself and got frustrated with what he saw so he headed into his bedroom. He decided it would be wise to change into warmer clothes now that he’d be inside and wouldn’t be walking around in the heat. He thought the nights here would have stayed warm but they got pretty cool. Arthur pulled on a sweater over his shirt and sat on the end of his bed.

He scrolled through some messages he had gotten, wondering if everyone was asleep. He decided to give it a try anyway and called his older brother Scott, who picked up after a couple of rings. They talked for a while, Arthur only pausing to listen to the screen door creaking open and the sound of Alfred’s mother and father returning. He could hear Alfred downstairs greeting his parents, following their footsteps into the kitchen. His brother asked him a load of questions which Arthur had to attempt to keep up with. Scott was rather calm for once. Usually more aggressive and one for teasing Arthur, he now only sounded genuinely interested and concerned. They may have fought as brothers but Arthur knew he cared about him and probably didn’t want his brother across the ocean to be miserable and alone.

Arthur did his best to reassure Scott while also letting him know that things were still unclear. He honestly had no idea where the rest of the two weeks would take him, but even if they had started a bit shaky, they could only progress from there. He didn’t want to feel hopeful but he couldn’t stop himself. He thought about it even as he wished Scott a good night and hung up with him. He wanted so badly for this to be something real and true and not have the doubt he did. He couldn’t help but look at their relationship so far and feel it was heading in the right and good direction. He only wanted Alfred to feel the same. It was no doubt they liked one another, they had already confirmed their feelings countless times online. But how deep did that like run for Alfred? Was it enough that, even after meeting Arthur in person, he still held strong to those emotions?

Arthur sighed and got up from the bed, deciding it was time to head down to Alfred and his family. Out in the hallway Mattie was also leaving her room. She smiled at Arthur, letting him head down the staircase first. Together they headed into the kitchen to join Alfred and his parents.

Alfred looked Arthur’s way when he entered and smiled at him warmly and knowingly, as if he knew how Arthur felt. As if there were a secret between the two of them that no one else would understand.


	8. Chapter Eight

Dinner was delicious as usual and Alfred’s family was more than accommodating and warm to Arthur, asking him more questions about his home life and all seemingly very interested in what he had to say. Even Alfred’s father got into the conversation more when Arthur mentioned his father had been an embalmer for quite some years but had just now begun working as a funeral service manager. Some thought of it as quite a morbid practice. To be honest, his father never mentioned it much and didn’t like to bring work home with him. Arthur had always wondered if that line of work ever got to his father but he seemed like a strong alpha. In addition to that, he always had mum to talk to about things so Arthur had never been extremely worried. It’d been helpful, his line of work, when Arthur’s great grandparents had passed away, and then for his grandfather on his mother’s side. A sad period for everyone, especially his mother. Arthur remembered sitting on her lap trying to comfort her with some story he’d heard on the radio.

Arthur didn’t want to let such a depressing topic come to the table so he switched to talk about his mother’s profession. She was mostly a stay at home mother, needing to take care of her children after all, but did work as a substitute teacher on occasion for the local elementary school. Arthur had always wondered if she got tired of being surrounded by children all the time, despite the fact that most of her own were fully grown at this point. He assumed she wouldn’t have had so many, or focused part of her career around children if she didn’t like them. She was the most patient person he’d met, aside from Jas, and found himself in admiration of them both.

Arthur didn’t have nearly the patience they did and found himself easily irritated by the actions of those around them. His brothers were always getting on his very last nerves and testing his patience. Being raised around them, and not in such a traditional household as his mother had, Arthur didn’t act nearly as nice to them in return as he probably should have. Taught them right though to mess with him like that.

Topics of his mother’s career led into talk about schools and education systems. According to Alfred his elementary was the best place in the world but everywhere else he’d gone for school lacked in comparison. He sat there, telling tales of high school as if it were a battlefield, all the while grinning between Arthur and his parents. Arthur felt bad that Alfred didn’t seem to have as nice of a high school experience as he thought he would have. He still couldn’t understand why. How could an alpha like Alfred not have had the experience of a lifetime in high school? He pictured him on sports teams and being the charmer he seemed to be now, having many friends and many eyeing omegas. Arthur didn’t particularly want to imagine other omegas fawning over Alfred however so he quickly pushed the thought from his mind.

When he was finished and full he sat back in his chair and listened to Mattie talk about her own experience growing up although she didn’t mention much about high school outside of orchestra and cello practices. Arthur couldn’t help but wonder if she and Alfred hadn’t really gotten along when they were younger? He wasn’t one to pry and kept it to himself, simply enjoying the way everyone talked together, so comfortable and at ease. He was happy to find that things were going more smoothly than he had thought.

However, what Alfred had said earlier still plagued the back of his mind. He could still feel the apprehension at what was to come. Whatever it was, it was serious enough that Alfred hadn’t wanted to bring it up during lunch time, and he hadn’t tried either when they’d been alone on the couch together. How much longer was he planning to wait? It was something he didn’t want to say around his own family… Was he trying to spare Arthur’s feelings? Tell him he wasn’t going to go through with becoming mates where no one could hear them. That way Arthur wouldn’t have his family looking at him in pity because he’d just become another disappointment in their lives.

Arthur felt consumed for a moment in a world where Alfred and his family absolutely hated him and wanted him out of their home immediately. He couldn’t understand why he would think that way, especially with how courteous and kind they’d been up to this point. He didn’t want to think badly of them but he couldn’t help but think badly of himself. What had he done to deserve meeting Alfred? Did Alfred realize this too?

In the midst of the muddled thoughts racing through his brain, somewhere in that fog Arthur felt a gentle touch to his hand. Alfred was looking at him as he laced their fingers together, concern all over his expression. Arthur felt a twist in his stomach, noticing that Alfred’s family hadn’t seem to notice his panic and were still on their discussion. He’d zoned out enough that he wasn’t entirely sure what they were talking about but felt relief at the same time that nobody had asked him a question he hadn’t answered. Nobody was staring him down either- well, Alfred was looking at him with a question he didn’t want to pose out loud.

Arthur let the warmness of Alfred’s hand soothe him just a little. He had to think logically about this. Alfred didn’t seem… he wasn’t the type of alpha to let Arthur down like this. He would have known from the moment they’d seen each other and wouldn’t have led Arthur on in this way. He wouldn’t have taken Arthur on the tour or held his hand or let Arthur fall asleep on him on a couch if he didn’t at least have some similar hope that this would work out. Arthur had to believe that whatever was so important Alfred had to tell him was not about the relationship. The more he accepted that the more he could focus on really getting to know Alfred. That was what he’d come here for after all.

He’d gotten so wrapped up in his thoughts about himself and his own fears that he’d forgotten he should have been paying more attention to Alfred and making the most of their time together. He would have to remedy that as soon as he could. They had talked online and knew a lot of things about each other but that didn’t mean there wasn’t more to learn. Arthur had already learned new things about Alfred in such a short amount of time. For once, Alfred had an accent that made Arthur wished they had been skyping in voice or video calls this whole time instead of just typing back and forth. In addition, Alfred also liked to talk a lot even about topics or people Arthur didn’t quite know. Alfred was a lot of things Arthur hadn’t predicted and none of these things made him like Alfred less. He was pretty sure unless something extreme happened, by the end of the two weeks, he would like Alfred even more.

He squeezed Alfred’s hand reassuringly and shook his head to try and dismiss any of Alfred’s concerns over him. Everyone began to clean up their plates and get up from the table. “I’m taking Artie to the spot,” Alfred announced, his mother and father by the sink, Mattie putting something away in the fridge.

They paused, then Jas nodded and smiled. “Stay warm dears,” she said, resuming the dishes. Arthur helped clean up the rest of the stuff from the table then followed Alfred when he motioned for Arthur.   
They headed to the front door, Alfred grabbing the keys, then pushed themselves out into the night.

The stars were clear here and peppered the sky, unlike the sky above his home in England. He felt someone had turned over the salt and pepper shakers and seasoned the night with little flecks of white.

“If it were warmer and lighter out I’d have us maybe walk there but I think for one we’ve had enough walkin’ for today and that it’s probably best we drive.”

They neared the car, and instead of getting into the driver’s seat immediately Alfred came over to where Arthur stood, grinning at him.

“I don’t see why you need to have person sized tires on your vehicle,” Arthur frowned, eyeing the height of the seat and wondering if there was anything he could grab onto to hoist himself up. He didn’t need to apparently because Alfred was letting him know he got him and then suddenly picking him up and putting him into the truck. He’d helped Arthur get out of the thing and now was putting him back into it like it was nothing. Arthur was once again shocked by his strength and felt his cheeks heat as Alfred’s hands left his waist. He shut the door for Arthur and rounded the truck, getting in easily on his side.

“Even consider high jump?” Arthur inquired, Alfred laughing in response as he started the car.

“Was never much of a runner Artie. Ya could say farm work’s my sport.”

“Nothing else when you were younger? In school?”

Alfred shook his head and glanced behind them as he backed out of the driveway. He only went down the road a bit when he turned onto a another gravel road that was surrounded in trees and had a closed gate some of the ways in. Alfred got out and opened it, letting Arthur know when he got back into the truck that this was still his family’s property so they weren’t trespassing on anyone else’s land.

The night fell around them like a big blue wave falls onto the sand, except this time it shrouded the trees and made their bark skeletons stand out in Alfred’s headlights. Arthur was reminded of all the horror movies he’d seen. Couples sneaking out to remote places and then meeting their doom when a serial killer or monster appeared. Not that Alfred and Arthur were really sneaking out anywhere, and certainly not to make out or have any romantic moment. Arthur did hope the alpha had enough strength to fight off a movie monster though, if the moment arose.

“What are ya thinkin’ ‘bout?” Alfred asked, a curious tone to his voice. He kept his eyes on the small road, keeping a slightly slow speed.

“Horror movies,” Arthur admitted, embarrassed.

Alfred gave him a glance now. “Why ya thinkin’ bout those?” He looked more surprised and Arthur flushed some.

“It’s dark out and we’re surrounded by trees on all side. Haven’t you ever seen the movies?”

“Ya know I don’t like them kinda films but… I suppose if ya ain’t used to this it would be kinda scary. I see this so many times day and night I don’t really think ‘bout it. You’ll like where we’re goin’, don’t worry. And… I may hate the movies but I ain’t gonna let anythin’ happen to ya.” He winked and pulled carefully around a curve.

The trees opened up to a vast and rising field, Alfred pulling off the path to take them to the top of said hill. There was a flattened patch just at the top of the hill and Alfred parked his car, maneuvering it so the back of the truck faced out over the hill. He turned off the car, pulling up the emergency brake; to make sure they didn’t go rolling down the hill Arthur assumed. “Here we are. C’mon we’re gonna get into the back of the truck ‘kay?”

Alfred helped him out of the car again but instead of setting him down he held him as he carried Arthur to the back. Arthur wondered if he was going to have to get used to being carried around with how much Alfred seemed to like picking him up, and flushed with how okay he starting to feel about it. The alpha was just grinning, seemingly all too happy to carry Arthur around like this. He unhooked the back while still holding Arthur then gently set him up into the back of the truck and let Arthur move out of the way before hoisting himself up into the bed of it as well.

There was a blanket spread out so it wasn’t as hard to sit on, a few pillows propped into the back of it to lean again. Arthur wondered when Alfred had prepped for this or if they usually kept that kind of stuff in the back. They settled against the frame and with the view, Arthur could see down across a valley of dark plains. It gave him a view of the forest and night horizon and the body of the sky, filled with stars and a crescent moon rising overhead. They were both silent for a moment, just taking in the scenery. It was far more beautiful and peaceful than Arthur had anticipated. And not at all as scary as he would have imagined. He felt like he was camping. He’d never really gone stargazing before and felt warmed by the idea that Alfred had brought him out to such a place.

“It’s gorgeous here,” Arthur murmured.

“Sure is,” Alfred agreed. “This is the best spot to watch the sunrise too but I don’t reckon ya wanna wake up that early to see.”

“You’re probably right. Perhaps when I’ve gotten more used to your time zone, we could try then?”

“I’d like that,” Alfred said.

They didn’t speak for a couple of minutes after that. The silence was finally disrupted by Arthur shivering.

“Shit I shoulda told ya to bring a warmer jacket. Forget ya don’t got the same body heat like alphas do. Here.” Alfred shrugged off his jacket and held it out to Arthur.

“What if you get cold? I don’t want to take your coat.”

“I’m not gonna get cold Artie, trust me.”

When Arthur didn’t immediately accept the coat Alfred unfolded it and held it opened behind Arthur. “One arm then the other,” he instructed.

Arthur sighed but let Alfred help him into his jacket- a brown bomber jacket with a fuzzy collar. It was warm and smelled like the alpha. Arthur bundled himself into it, noticing it was large on him but that made it all the more comfortable. He felt he was wrapped into a warm blanket except this blanket was Alfred’s jacket and it smelled heavenly.

Arthur pulled his hands into the sleeves then settled back, leaning closer to Alfred. He looked down at where their legs were stretched out, pressed to one another, then back at the view once more.

“What did you have to say?” he finally asked Alfred, wondering if the alpha was finally going to tell him or if he would put it off even longer. Arthur didn’t wanna push him to talk about something he seemed to want to hide, but at the same time curiosity was getting the better of him. He did admit to not being a patient person though.

This time, Arthur took Alfred’s hand, a wordless way of communicating to him that he was here to listen to Alred. He would hear what he had to say and not be quick to judge or think less of him. He’d never thought less of Alfred, no matter how many conversations they’d had, or how many times they’d talked. Alfred seemed to understand this and sighed slightly.

“Well, there’s something I wanna tell ya, which ya already know cause I said that earlier. But I ain’t want ya thinkin’ I been hidin’ it from ya because I don’t trust ya or cause I think badly of ya or anything. I actually think pretty highly of ya Artie which is why I’d been properly wantin’ to tell ya and all. I thought about sayin’ something online many times but just didn’t feel the same. I took ya out here cause it’s pretty and all and I figured we should enjoy each other’s company ya know? Stargazing always gets me thinking and I know it sounds cheesey but I thinkin a lot about my future and about you Artie when I do so… Ah geez I don’t really know what I’m sayin’. What I want ya to know is that this is somethin’ important to me and it ain’t easy for me to talk about even still so…”

Arthur gently pulled Alfred’s hand into his lap, taking Alfred’s hand into both of his. He held it reassuringly, leaning up against Alfred. Omegas scents were good at comforting and calming alphas, or so Arthur had learned, so he tried to channel that now. He let the calmness soothe and spread out, as if he were enveloping the alpha in it. He physically felt the tenseness between them and in Alfred lessen some. Arthur was glad he could be of some use. Now was not the time for him to be worried about himself or his relationship with Alfred or anything else that might race through his brain. Now was time for listening and finally hearing what Alfred had to say.

“Thanks Artie,” Alfred murmured. He let out a long sigh, casting his gaze up to the stars as if they would also lend him their help. Arthur continued to let his scent assist the alpha.

“This is kinda long story I’m gonna warn ya now but if you get cold or anythin’ ya just stop me and let me know. We got blankets in the backseat of the truck that’ll keep ya warm if need be. And I’ll do my best to shorten things… some of it isn’t really important… but also some of it’s hard for me to talk ‘bout so I’m sorry if I uh… trail off or anythin’ of the sorts.”

“I had the nap earlier and your jacket is very warm so…I understand Alfred. It’s okay. Take your time.”

“That means a lot to me to hear that Artie,” Alfred said, grateful.

“You would do the same for me,” Arthur said, although he didn’t know how Alfred would react if he found out Arthur’s secret- that he was a temperamental and slightly over aggressive omega who found himself in fights with alphas more than once. It wasn’t normal, that kind of behavior. Fights between alphas were common, even between omegas and omegas, and the only real cross between the two was with betas. It was odd and even looked down upon for an omega to challenge an alpha or to try to go up against one, which is why Arthur had become known as somewhat of a problem for alphas. Alphas were warned to stay away from him. He was no good as an omega.

“You’re right I would,” Alfred said, laughing a bit. He kept chuckling for a moment more then took a breath, crickets chirping in cadence around the truck. “Now, to begin I’m gonna tell ya ‘bout a time when I was just ten years old.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : D
> 
> ... im just gonna apologize here in advance for chapter nine


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This chapter contains non-major character death (in the past).
> 
> Other warnings: Do I work on a farm? No. Have I ever worked on a farm? No but once I did milk a cow. I did my best to research some of this stuff so I apologize if anything is wrong or incorrect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry ><
> 
> Also, shoutout and credit to pockettprince (previously monochrome-kirkland) for this beautiful fanart.   
> http://bluesfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/142757134050/monochrome-kirkland-stargazing-based-off-of
> 
> Unfortunately, I cannot find the original post since they changed their blog and such. Still, have some beautiful art to go along with this chapter.

“I’ve always been a farm boy, and when I was younger, I had a couple friends who were also raised on farms. We weren’t like them suburban folk or like the city people so we tended to band together. Ya know what kinda trouble alphas can get into, especially when we’re young and full of reckless energy.”

Arthur nodded. He had enough brothers to understand that.

“There were two others I was close with, Morgan and Bobby. Morgan lived down the road ‘bout couple of miles, while Bobby lived over on the other side of town just past the Olde Jackson Farm, can’t miss it really even if ya tried. Their house is this big old blue thing sitting pretty in the middle of a field. All grand and the like. His mom always had the best lemonade I still swear by it. Morgan and I liked to tease Bobby that we was always just comin’ over for his mom’s food and all. ‘Stead of just wantin’ to hang out with him. Can’t deny a kid always want their food though,” Alfred shrugged, laughing to himself.

He looked peaceful, staring off over the slopes, eyes calm and gentle. Arthur hadn’t seen Alfred really act like this before, but he liked listening to his voice all the same. Feeling soothed enough, Arthur leaned into Alfred’s side, letting Alfred wrap his arm around him. He felt that, despite how warm and happy this story was starting out, for some reason he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t end the same way. Alfred wouldn’t save such a happy story to tell him in private, so Arthur prepared himself mentally, ready to be there for Alfred at a moment’s notice if he needed comfort.

“Since Morgan and I lived closer we liked to play out in the creek beds, our mothers gettin’ on us to be extra careful. Ain’t want anyone drowning. The creek never got too high, and in hot days it was nice to stick your toes in. Maybe splash around with one another, pretend we was something other than little farm boys.”

Alfred paused, fingers lightly tracing circles on Arthur’s side.

“Bobby was… more reckless than the two of us. His parents ain’t really ‘round much to keep an eye on him. Didn’t have his mother breathin’ down the back of his neck ‘bout doin’ his homework or makin’ sure he was safe. Bobby always was pretendin’ he ain’t let it get to him and all. Alphas always gotta make themselves out to be tough, even if they small. To him, things were just… more intense, I suppose. It’s like when you’re playin’ a game with someone and ya havin’ a good time but your competitor just wants to kick your ass and win. Ya ever been in that kind of a situation?”

“My brothers will go at one another like that,” Arthur said, remembering how family game nights had turned out because of that particular reason. Although, Peter had never really acted like that, despite being an alpha. Arthur wondered if it was because his younger brother spent more of his time around Arthur and their mum. That would have helped to calm down that unruly aspect of a young alpha boy. Arthur was more proud of his younger brother than he wanted to admit out loud. He felt he would grow up to be a wonderful brother, but he was happy he was still young. He tried to imagine Alfred around age ten, getting into trouble, stuffing his face with sweets, and playing in the creek with his friends.

“It’s common I bet, people just get more competitive than others at times ya know? Anyway Bobby was like that ‘bout everything. He was always pushin’ Morgan and I into these competitions, declarin’ winners, giving out prizes. Morgan and I went along with it cause it was pretty fun most of the time. We liked to show off at school what we could do, especially when it caught some the attention of the omegas. Bobby, despite his pushin’ and leadin’ wasn’t exactly as well liked as Morgan and I ‘round the school. We felt kinda bad which is probably another reason we did what he wanted so often.”

Alfred’s hand stopped and he seemed to be wracking his brain, trying to remember something. He suddenly laughed a bit to himself and glanced down at Arthur. “One time Morgan and I was watchin’ Bobby march around all hot ‘bout some teacher that had made him angry. And then he’d started cussing him out just to have said teacher walkin’ by right at that point.” Alfred laughed more. “I wish ya could have been there to see the look on his face when he saw the teacher standin’ there.”

He resumed tracing patterns with his fingers, letting out a little sigh. “I’m gettin’ off topic sorry. I like recountin’ the past sometimes. Like thinkin’ up old memories of when I was a kid.”

“I think that’s pretty normal. I sometimes like to think back on memories of times with my family.” Arthur wasn’t going to mention that he’d never really had friends as a child, so he didn’t have any stories like Alfred’s to match him with. He’d just always kept to himself as a child, which had been fine with him. Sometimes he wondered how different he would be now if only he’d just socialized more growing up. He didn’t think on it much longer because Alfred had resumed his story.

“Most of the time it was just Morgan and I together. It was hard to convince our parents to drive us ‘cross town so far just to visit Bobby. There ah… There was a Friday we’d planned to have a sleepover. It was all right with Bobby’s parents so we figured why not. We was off school that day so we headed over ‘round noon. I remember we dumped our stuff in the hallway, Bobby tellin’ us his mom would pick it up for us. I wish I’d been politer as a child now, not just leaving my shit ‘round- sorry for the language…”

“It’s all right,” Arthur murmured. He could hear a tenseness in Alfred’s voice, one that hadn’t been there before. His scent was on edge and he held Arthur closer. Arthur wished he knew what was making Alfred feel this way. He didn’t have anyway to help him. He let his scent soothe over the alpha, pushing his comfort over him. That tenseness relaxed slightly and Alfred smiled at Arthur.

“I knew talkin’ to ya on that website had been a good idea,” Alfred grinned, making Arthur blush. He was happy that darkness helped to hide it, even if the darkness couldn’t hide the pleased feelings in his scent.

“Bobby had all this big farm equipment. Cotton pickers, stuff like plows, and a tractor. Actually, they had two tractors- one this expensive machine his father used and was off limits to us. The other a more run down and older one. I remember we used to go play on it, no turnin’ it on of course. Well, that’s how it usually was… Are you cold?”

Arthur was surprised by the question. He wasn’t particularly cold, although he hadn’t been focusing on how he was feeling to be honest. Without waiting for his answer, Alfred let go of Arthur to open the hatch in the back. He pulled out a large thick blanket and laid it over their laps. He opened his arm again for Arthur to curl up next to him. Arthur wrapped his own arm around Alfred’s waist.

He wondered if Alfred was trying to distract himself from whatever it was he’d wanted to tell Arthur. He could see his other hand fiddling with the blanket. Arthur reached out and took it in his own.

“It’s all right Alfred,” he murmured. But he didn’t know for sure if what he was saying had any comforting effect on the alpha. He didn’t know what Alfred was going to say or what had happened, but whatever it was hadn’t been good and it certainly wasn’t easy for Alfred to talk about it, even if it happened so long ago.

“You know I told you Bobby was always gettin’ us into stuff we shouldn’t be?”

Arthur nodded.

“That Friday wasn’t really any different. We were kids and stupid and… Bobby got the keys to the tractor.”

Arthur felt a chill settle over him, now more glad to have the blanket. He could feel Alfred holding his hand tightly, knowing it was probably taking some effort for the alpha not to squeeze his hand too tightly.

“The old tractor of course. Ain’t no way he could have gotten keys for the new one. When you’re in a moment like that ya don’t really think through what you’re doing. Ya don’t think that anything can go wrong. He said we should take it out around the farm, just ride around on it like… I think like it was some pirate ship. I can’t remember exactly… fuzzy details and…”

“A lot of accidents happen on farms Artie. It’s dangerous work I’m sure ya hard this all before. Newer models of tractors have been made with something called ROPS. It’s a protective structure that uh… Well, the point is the older tractor didn’t have that, cause it was made before tractors were required to have ROPS. And they hadn’t gotten it on the old tractor cause they hardly ever used it anymore.”

Alfred’s scent was on high-end. Nervous and tense and scared. Arthur felt he knew where the story was going but he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t save Alfred, couldn’t take away those memories and protect him from whatever he remembered.

“We were stupid Artie,” Alfred said, voice barely coming out. Arthur wondered if he’d started crying. He couldn’t see his face but he didn’t want to pull away from Alfred now.

“I suppose ya know where this is going. The… tractor rolled. We’d been fightin’, Morgan, Bobby, and I. Morgan hadn’t wanted to mess ‘round with it. He got so angry he got off the tractor and I got off to go after him. Bobby tried to follow us, take the tractor down a hill and turned too quickly and it just slid. Morgan and I- Well we were down the hill. I…” Alfred was trembling now, shoulders shaking. Arthur forced himself to stay still, feeling like he couldn’t breathe or make any sounds.

“I told him to come down the hill Artie,” Alfred sobbed. “ I was the one who told him to come after us I was so angry. Bobby was thrown off, the tractor rolled, and then Bobby was underneath it and I was- Morgan was screaming. I wasn’t really sure what had happened I was just seeing sky. My uh…” He took a breath, laying his head back against the truck. “Part of my leg was trapped under the tractor.”

Arthur couldn’t stop a bit of the gasp that left his lips.

“Geez,” Alfred let out a sound, a mix of a sob and a laugh, like he couldn’t believe himself. He ran a hand over his face, looking up at the sky. Arthur let Alfred move away after a moment, watching him lift the blanket now. He watched, as Alfred took off his boot and then his his sock and then he was rolling up his pant leg, stopping around the knee.

The further it went up the more Arthur began to realize…

What were you supposed to say to someone who’d watched their friend get crushed and killed under a tractor at 10 years old?

What were you supposed to say to someone who was showing you their prosthetic leg?

But everything clicked into place. The way Alfred walked that was different, the way he sometimes rubbed at his knee.

Arthur was no longer leaning against Alfred, more so off to the side just looking at the leg. He slowly looked away and met Alfred’s eyes, tears prickling his own vision. He could see the worry there, the fear. The fear of what he’d felt so long ago, or for something new? Arthur was trying to wrap his brain why this had been something Alfred felt the need to keep so hidden and then… Well, he understood such a traumatic event one wouldn’t like to freely talk about. What Alfred had gone through, at such a young age, had left a very big impact on his life and Arthur wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.

“Morgan and I stopped talkin’ after that… He didn’t visit me in the hospital. Then his family moved away and… I just became known as the kid whose friend had been killed by a tractor and… I was the kid with a missin’ leg. Well… part of it… People don’t look at ya the same after something like that. And people don’t treat ya the same when they see a leg like this… They think it’s troublesome. An alpha shouldn’t be such damaged goods.”

“Alfred-” 

He shifted his leg up, letting Arthur see more of it in the starlight. The smooth surface gleamed.

“Alfred… Were… were you afraid that… If you showed me, I wouldn’t want you anymore because of your leg?”

“I thought you’d be disappointed in me Artie.”

“Disappointed?”

“I’m not- this leg hinders me. I ain’t gonna take over the farm cause of it. It’s taken a while to do the work I do but… It still hurts. It still hurts so much,” Alfred whispered, wiping at his face. “I don’t want to disappoint ya Artie. I don’t want ya thinkin’ I’m not capable but I can’t hide my leg from ya forever. I can’t pretend there ain’t nothing wrong with me when I still wake up in sweat from dreams I have ‘bout what happened. My leg got good and bad days and I don’t want ya to deal with that if ya- if ya don’t wanna,” he finished, meeting Arthur’s eyes. And then watching Arthur move forward, sitting up on his knees, then pull Alfred forward against him. He wasn’t bigger than the alpha but he wasn’t going to let that stop him anyhow. He pulled him as close as he could, wrapping his arms around Alfred in a tight embrace.

There were a million things he could say. He wouldn’t never think less of Alfred, not for something like this. He would never feel disappointed in him because of a prosthetic leg. He would never ever want Alfred to feel less because of what had happened.

“You were young Alfred. You didn’t know-”

“But I-”

“It wasn’t your fault…”

“My leg-”

“Doesn’t change anything.” Arthur pulled away, cupping Alfred’s face in his hands, and met his eyes. “It doesn’t change anything.”

–

The ride back was silent, except for the hum of the truck’s engine. Arthur still had Alfred’s coat on, the scent covering him. He wasn’t afraid of the trees in the darkness now, or the way the gravel crunched under their tires when Alfred pulled back into the driveway.

“Thank you,” Alfred said, turning off the engine, speaking for the first time since they’d packed up and left. He reached for Arthur’s hand and they intertwined fingers, sitting side by side in the car, looking off to the left at Alfred’s home. So still and dark aside from a small porch light that had been left on.

“Thank you for telling me Alfred,” Arthur said.

“I ain’t mean to lie to ya for so long. Figured ya could get settled in some first…”

“You were afraid Alfred, it’s okay.” Arthur understand all too much about that. His own secrets, should they come to the front, made Arthur afraid for what Alfred would think of him.

“You’re kind Arthur,” Alfred said softly. “To accept something like that. The other omegas don’t think of me the same… it’s been real hard to find anyone.”

Arthur was angered. How could anyone treat Alfred like this just because of his leg? How did the omegas here not see past that? He knew it was a small town and things like that stuck around forever but how could no one see that Alfred was… well, wonderful?

“You’ve found me then,” Arthur murmured.

A small smile came to Alfred’s lips.

“That I did.”


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ◡‿◡✿✿✿

Arthur groaned as the curtains in his room were drawn open. “Rise and shine, Artie,” Alfred said, letting sunlight flood the room. Arthur pulled the blanket over his face. When he’d agreed to go with Alfred to ride the horses around the farm he hadn’t expected them to need to get up so early. They’d gotten back late at night and had talked for a lot longer in Alfred’s truck. Arthur got in his curious questions about how long it had taken Alfred to get used to wearing a prosthetic and topics like that. He hoped he hadn’t been too offensive but Alfred hadn’t seem to mind. At least it was better than Arthur hating him or turning away from him just because of his leg. Although such a thought never crossed Arthur’s mind and he couldn’t fathom how it could for others.

Arthur was surely going to fall asleep on the horse though. He didn’t know what time it was but he did know that if he didn’t get a proper amount of sleep it wasn’t good for anyway? He could barely make out Alfred’s form by the window, grinning over at where he lay. He wanted to groan and tell Alfred to get out of the room but he was really fighting with himself to be more polite to the alpha. Clearly if they were to become mates one thing would have to change- Alfred would have to understand that Arthur’s rest was important to him and if he didn’t have enough of it it would make for one irritated omega.

Arthur heard movement more than saw it. His eyes had already started to drift shut again, the thought that if the alpha stayed silent then Arthur would be able to slip back into that sweet sleep and get a bit more time of shut eye. Alfred seemed to have other plans in mind. Arthur wondered if he even knew what a nap was.

“You can’t sleep the whole day away,” Alfred said, a bit softer this time. He seemed to notice Arthur was struggling with the concept of “getting up”. He felt the mattress sink, Alfred sitting on the edge of it next to Arthur.

“I can and I will,” Arthur grumbled into the pillow. Did they really have to ride horses today? Didn’t they still have over a week left? Surely at the end of the first week they’d be looking for things to do and Arthur could suggest riding the horses around but if they did that now he wouldn’t have that to offer later on. He was being smart and planning ahead, looking out for the two of them.

Arthur didn’t want their time together to settle into a boringness. There was only so much two people could do on a farm and sooner or later they would run out of ideas and have to start the recycling. Maybe Arthur could suggest devoting one of their days to just napping together. He could introduce Alfred to the fun activity of curling up on a bed and getting nestled and cozy then drifting off to dreamland. He didn’t feel that would be a fun thing for such an energetic alpha however. In addition to that, Arthur wasn’t sure how he felt about napping with the alpha. He was sure to get too distracted by that warm scent, solid body… Arthur groaned again to remind himself that Alfred was in fact sitting on his bed at the moment waiting for him to join the real world.

“I take it ya ain’t much a morning person, lookin’ at ya,” Alfred commented.

“What makes you think that?” Arthur grumbled back sarcastically. He wondered how strong Alfred’s patience was. Just how long would he be willing to sit there watching Arthur lay. Apparently not too long. Arthur could already tell how antsy the alpha was becoming, just having to sit there with nothing to do. He felt him shift on the bed wondering if he was going to get up. Instead he felt his presence closer to him and then fingers running softly through his hair. Arthur held back a shiver as Alfred gently caressed his cheek, then brushed his fingers through Arthur’s hair. His touch was so gentle Arthur wondered how delicately he had to be touching. It felt too good and definitely did not make Arthur want to get up. He felt he was being pampered. Soft bed, gentle touches, a warm sun settling over him, despite the fact it was still too bright for Arthur’s liking.

“What time is it?” he asked, voice groggy. He tried to clear it with a small cough, feeling Alfred’s hand stop for only a moment. He didn’t want to look at him, didn’t want to see what kind of teasing expression Alfred was probably wearing while looking at Arthur. Or was he even looking at him at all? Was his head turned towards the window? Arthur couldn’t really tell with the placement of the blanket.

“Just a little past eleven. How late ya gonna sleep anyway?”

Eleven was later than Arthur had expected it to be. By the time they got out to the horse it would be past noon, probably even closer to one. Arthur was usually up around nine on most days but he still blamed jet lag and Alfred dragging him out late at night on his current position in bed.

“At least until noon. Just one more hour,” Arthur whined.

“There are pancakes downstairs Artie… Ma’s big fluffy hot cakes waiting for ya with fruit and syrup and fresh whip cream. How does that sound?” Arthur felt a tug in his stomach. It sounded delicious. Of course Alfred would know that, being able to read it from his scent. “Ma made some freshly squeezed orange juice as well.”

Arthur’s weakness. He loved fruit and the tartness of orange juice. He loved sweet things and delicious warm breakfasts. He was in a predicament because he also loved beds and sleeping and both things strongly called to him.

“No breakfast in bed?” he asked, muttering into the blanket.

“Maybe tomorrow Artie, but today we gotta make sure you’re not stuck to the mattress.”

“Oh shush…” Arthur huffed, telling himself he should definitely get up but finding he didn’t really have the will or energy even at the idea of such a wonderful breakfast. He turned his head just slightly, tugging the blanket down and regretting it as white light filled his vision. They saw spots of color and then more shapes and outlines of the room. Arthur shifted his gaze to where Alfred sat and felt himself melt even more. The alpha was smiling at him with an expression filled with softness and warmth. It made him want to drag Alfred down into the bed with him, cuddle against him. The alpha was like his own pocket of sun, a splotch or ray of warmth that worked on a farm and called Artie in that all too endearing voice. It wasn’t hardly fair at this point. He probably looked like a mess on the bed. Mussed up hair and most likely a spot of drool on the pillow beside him. He suddenly had to wonder if that meant he snored too. Would Alfred be able to hear it even from his own room? Arthur wondered if such a thought turned him off. Did Alfred snore?

“What a shame Artie… missing such a breakfast like that… Well nothing to do about it I guess,” Alfred chirped, pulling his hand away and standing up from the bed. Arthur tried to protest and thought Alfred was just going to leave him there once again but he didn’t. Hands were suddenly being slid under him, blanket and all, and he was scooped from the bed. Bundled up still in the blanket, Arthur fell against Alfred chest as he was cradled to it. God Alfred smelled amazing. Did he know that?

“Wait I’ll walk I’ll walk-” he protested quickly, waking up even more now. There was no way he was going to be carried downstairs in a blanket looking so sleepy and tired while Alfred’s entire family sat at the kitchen table waiting to eat their breakfast. “Are they waiting for me to eat?”

“Nah,” Alfred chuckled. “Pa’s already eaten. Mattie and Ma are almost finished it. It was just gonna be you and I.” Alfred listened to Arthur though and sat him back down on the edge of the bed.

“Why haven’t you eaten yet?”

“I had breakfast earlier, but that ain’t mean I ain’t gonna have second breakfast.”

“Are you a Hobbit?” Arthur asked, rubbing at his eyes.

“A what? Oh- Well I think I’m a bit taller than that don’t ya?”

Arthur couldn’t deny it. Alfred was nowhere near the height of a Hobbit. “You have the appetite of one.”

“Can’t argue with that. Now c’mon little Artie help a fella out.” Alfred had started to try to unravel Arthur from the blanket cocoon and now Arthur was trying his best to sleepily work himself free.

He was finally out of the blanket and glad to have the ability to stand up. “You might as well head down and I’ll catch up with you,” Arthur said, wanting to go into the bathroom first to make sure his hair didn’t actually look like a bird’s nest and to brush his teeth. He probably had horrible morning breath.

Alfred seemed to think it over. “Don’t go fallin’ back asleep on me, Artie,” he grinned.

“I won’t,” Arthur huffed. He went to step past Alfred but was cut off by him. “What are you-” He stopped with the look Alfred was giving him. It was an unreadable expression- in that there were too many emotions there. There was a softness, though, as Alfred gently put his hand on Arthur’s waist then leaned down to kiss him on his temple. Arthur shifted his gaze, embarrassed as Alfred then moved down to the crook of his neck, nuzzling there just for a moment.

“Morning darlin’,” he said in a low voice, making a shiver run straight up through Arthur.

“M-morning…” Arthur repeated, voice weak, as Alfred pulled away, looking satisfied before letting him go and leaving Arthur alone in the room.

Through his shower and breakfast and even to finding that Alfred had already brought the horses up to the house so they wouldn’t have to walk out to them again, Arthur couldn’t get the memory to leave his mind for long. Alfred was going to kill him sooner or later, whether on purpose or accident, Arthur didn’t know yet. He was helped onto the horse and off they went, moving at a slow pace through the fields. The woods had a short trail made by his family a long time ago, so he took the horses around that loop usually. He explained there was a creek he wanted to take Artie to. They could watch the little tadpoles there. 

“Ma packed me some snacks. There’s a bridge that hangs over the water we can sit on too,” he explained.

Arthur nodded, today a sunny day as well. But now in the cover of the trees, that light only broke through in patches. Greens and browns and shades of the earth surrounded him, a yellow sun speckling the leaves and vines, sometimes catching warmly into Arthur’s eyes. The world was an array of colors, of life dancing about his vision. And there through the orange glow catching in his eyelashes, he could make out Alfred in front of him. Tall and settled on Almonds like he’d belonged there.

Sticks and leaves crunched under hooves. Arthur felt he was in another world entirely and sleepily took in his surroundings. It was nice not to have to really pay attention to his footing. He always found himself tripping on roots when he went on walks or hikes on nature trails. He was currently riding Mattie’s horse, Pistachio. All of Alfred’s horses were calm and gentle in nature which made it easier to guide them along as they did now.

He heard the sound of water running, and saw in an opening space where the trees parted way a small antique bridge, wooden and adorned in vine flowers. Next to the creek side was also a space that looked like it’d been used for picnics and such. Alfred directed them over to that spot where they could leave the horses.

“We don’t need to tether them to anything?” Arthur asked, reaching for Alfred.

“Nah they’ll stay,” Alfred said, helping Arthur down off of Pistachios. He intertwined their hands and led Arthur over to the bridge. “Here we can sit down,” he said, motioning to the center of the bridge. There was space in the railing to put their legs through, dangling them over the water. There were slots in between each railing, enough so that you could rest your head on the second one and look out over the creek.

“When I was young we used to try and stick our feet in the creek but our legs was always too short,” Alfred chuckled. He sat down and took of his shoes, then slipped his leg down and dipped his toes in. Arthur watched him shiver. “Woo. That’s chilly..”

Arthur didn’t think his legs were particularly long enough to copy Alfred so he left his shoes on as he sat down next to Alfred. He settled there, trying to look into the water and watch for any fish. He saw movement but he didn’t know if that was a trick of the light or not. He didn’t realize he’d been staring so intently until Alfred laughed.

“We can go down in a bit and I’ll show ya where they like to gather. Mattie and I like to try and see if we can catch em up with our hands.”

Arthur shook his head and heard Alfred laugh. “I would not want to touch something so… slimey,” he said, a bit of a put off expression on his face.

“Ya ain’t gotta touch ‘em,” he chuckled. Arthur elbowed him in the side. Alfred caught his arm and brought their hands together again. Despite the heat, Arthur wasn’t nearly as tired or sweaty as he’d been the day before. Probably due to not having to walk anywhere. He didn’t even mind Alfred’s warmth or how close they were sitting to one another. There was no breeze where they were but there also wasn’t a lot of direct sunlight where they sat. Arthur watched an ant crawl along a plank on the bridge, disappearing into the crack of it.

“Did ya ever think you’d be somewhere like this? I don’t just mean here specifically but like did ya ever picture yourself actually comin’ to America?” Alfred asked.

Arthur tried to think on it. Of course in the beginning, when they’d only just met, he hadn’t expected things to go so far. He certainly hadn’t expected himself to fly over to stay with the alpha for a couple of weeks. He shook his head. “I didn’t know what to expect… You of course were very lovely to talk to, but being a nice person doesn’t mean we’d… well, get along like we did.”

“I was worried when I asked ya for a selfie that ya weren’t gonna give me one.”

“I don’t take a lot of them.”

“It’s only fair exchange don’t ya think?”

Arthur remembered very clearly the picture Alfred had sent him. One of him in his bedroom, a sign on his chest with the date and time. He’d asked Arthur for one in exchange and Arthur had panicked, spending close to half an hour just trying to take one decent picture of himself, also with a sign specifying the date and time. He wondered what Alfred had been thinking in that time he’d had to wait. Had he thought his picture had turned Arthur off? That he was no longer interested in the person he was talking to? Arthur even more so remembered just how taken he’d been with Alfred’s selfie.. He felt like a disappointment in return, his own picture of himself with a lackluster smile and an embarrassed look about his face. As if he couldn’t believe he was sending a person a picture of himself over the internet. Alfred hadn’t stopped talking to him afterwards however, which was an accomplishment in of itself for Arthur.

“It was an exchange, but not exactly a fair one.”

It was Alfred’s turn to nudge Arthur, squeezing his hand. “I say it’s mighty fair. You’re real pretty, Artie. I ain’t lying either- No hear me out. I don’t care what bad opinions ya got of yourself- well I do care, but I’m not gonna stop sayin’ it until ya believe me.” Arthur felt his face being turned to Alfred, hand on his chin. How could he compare? He tried to turn his gaze away.

“You’re beautiful too,” he argued.

“Well I’ll only accept your compliment if ya accept mine.”

“Fine,” Arthur muttered. He sighed and glanced up again, feeling Alfred’s eyes on his face. Not necessarily meeting his eyes but- oh. They had trailed down to his lips. Arthur was biting his own nervously now. He stopped and there was a pause. In a blink his eyes slipping shut as Alfred leaned in, hand now cupping his cheek instead of his chin. Arthur felt a spot of sun on his eyelids, bits of color appearing and then lips were meeting lips and they were kissing. And it was different than the kisses to cheeks or foreheads. And it was different than story book kisses and passionate movie kisses. It was noses brushing, seeking out the movement of one another, and it was Alfred’s arm weaving around Arthur’s waist and drawing him closer. It was tender and cool, and it was Arthur sliding his hands up onto Alfred’s shoulders and not wanting to let go.

They broke for a moment to the sound of one of the horses gently neighing, off by the water side, trying to get a drink. Arthur could see it out of the corner of his eye then found Alfred’s eyes once more, a blue you couldn’t miss and wouldn’t want to look away from.

“Was that okay?” Alfred whispered, lowering his hand from Arthur’s face and letting him go just a bit to give them space.

Arthur decided instead of answering he would show Alfred just how okay it was by kissing him again. His hands moved up further to tangle into Alfred’s hair. Alfred broke the kiss once more- “Here wait…” He brought his lips back to Arthur’s but moved them away from the railing and more so onto the bridge. He pulled Arthur up onto his lap, and tucked them right up against one another.

“Alfred-” Arthur gasped against his lips.

“Uh huh?”

“My knees-”

Alfred shifted them once more, laying himself back and bringing Arthur down on top of him. He was on his chest, hands still buried in Alfred’s golden hair, kissing him on a bridge in the middle of the forest. The thought would have been romantic in a book or funny if he tried to picture the situation more, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was soaring right up in the clouds. Despite the way their hands gripped and tugged at one another, their kiss was as soft as ever. Careful and cautious and bringing a groan to Arthur’s lips when Alfred rolled them so Arthur was now on his back. Alfred’s hands were caressing his face, slipping into his hair as well, holding him there as he kissed him right out of breath.

Arthur had to tug on his shirt and turn his face to feel air coming back into his lungs. It seemed baring his neck only invited Alfred to nose down into the crook of it. He ran his lips from collar bone to the spot under his ear, humming and making Arthur shiver.

Kisses to jawline and back to lips. Arthur didn’t know how long they kissed for but was thoroughly dazed when they finally stopped. They were still holding onto one another, as if what they’d just done wasn’t enough. Alfred seemed reluctant to sit up or pull away from Arthur and Arthur felt the same so he let himself be cradled onto Alfred’s lap, resting his head against his chest. They enjoyed the silence and the company of one another.

Finally Alfred spoke. “Did you want to see the tadpoles?” he asked.

Arthur nodded and moved again with Alfred off the bridge and to a little pocket of water. Arthur could see them all swimming around, flitting about when he and Alfred got too close.

“Are you going to try and catch one?” Arthur asked.

“Not today,” Alfred shook his head. “I figure it’s best to just leave ‘em alone.”

Arthur nodded then glanced over his way again, cheeks heating just slightly.

“We should do this again before I leave…”

Alfred drew his gaze up from the water to meet Arthur’s eyes. “Kiss?”

“Y- you- no that’s not what I meant.”

Alfred leaned over anyway and pecked Arthur on the lips. “One more for good measure. I ain’t gonna be able to kiss ya ‘round the house as much as I’d like to. What with all my family always snoopin’ on us.”

“They snoop on us?” Arthur asked, bright red now.

“At least Ma’s always asking me ‘bout what we do and such.”

Arthur felt too shy to look at any of Alfred’s family members again.

“I suppose if that’s the case then…” Arthur started slowly, “…we really should kiss again…”

The grin on Alfred’s face made Arthur want to become a tadpole himself and swim away. He wasn’t allowed to as he was caught in Alfred’s arms again, pulled into a warm and wonderful embrace.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> watch out for the tiniest itsy bitsy amount of angst in this one. you have been warned

They spent a good majority of the afternoon by the creekside, eating the snacks Alfred had brought along. Apples and strawberries and ham sandwiches, with peanut butter cookies for dessert. Arthur took a sip of the water, feeling Alfred’s nose nuzzling into the back of his neck again.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Mm… nah… Ya just smell mighty fine.”

“If you’re still hungry there’s another apple,” Arthur pointed out, secretly pleased to know his scent was addicting enough to Alfred that throughout practically the whole meal he’d been pressing his nose into Arthur’s hair and behind his ear and any place where the scent was strongest. He heard murmur a no thank you behind him. They were sitting on a picnic blanket down slope, Arthur sitting in front of him, resting back against his chest, Alfred’s legs straddled on either side of him. He’d insisted on keeping Arthur near while they ate, but Arthur didn’t mind the closeness. In fact, since kissing it felt even better to be held like this.

He felt he was finally at ease with Alfred, resting into a comfortable relationship with him where they could be more open about affection than they’d been before. It felt so nice after having spent months not knowing how Alfred sounded when he laughed or not knowing how warm his calloused hands would feel when they held hands. And with how well their first kiss had gone Arthur was sure that their relationship could only progress in a positive direction from here. He felt he was getting ahead of himself but it was hard to worry about Alfred not wanting to continue this relationship when he was currently wrapped around him telling Arthur how good his scent smelled. Arthur could only relish in this open affection and think on happily the kisses they’d shared.

It seemed Alfred could pick up on this thought from Arthur’s scent and he heard him chuckle. He turned his face to look at him, wanting to feel embarrassed but not wanting to ruin the mood between them. He hadn’t realized how much he would have liked to cuddle and be close to another person, especially when he’d spent most of his life pushing his brothers and others away. With Alfred it was different and he welcomed all of it. Even if it was hot they’d kicked off their shoes and let the shade of the trees keep them cool.

They found themselves relaxing back onto the picnic blanket, after making sure the food was all properly wrapped up again, and kissed until Arthur’s eyes were heavy and he felt a soft sleepiness take over him. Using Alfred’s chest as a pillow Arthur curled against him and the two of them took a nap. He didn’t know how long they slept but it was still daylight when they woke up. Arthur woke first but his movement roused Alfred too. The ground wasn’t the most comfortable but Arthur didn’t particularly mind. He’d just hoped he hadn’t made it too uncomfortable for Alfred since he’d been using him as a pillow.

He was amazed once again that Alfred’s horses were so obedient and calm, having not wandered off too far or left them there. He wondered if Alfred took them out here often or if they were just particularly loyal to their owner. He could tell at least from before that the bond between them was strong and figured that was something time and care had created.

Instead of taking the horses back first then walking the rest of the way, Alfred had the horses swing them by the house first. “I’m gonna to take ‘em back, ya can head inside. Get some water ‘cause it’s hot outside and all.”

Arthur was still feeling sluggish like one did after a nap. It was the combination of the full stomach and the warmth. Alfred was probably right though. Being outside long periods of time always made him thirsty and even though he’d had water during lunch he still wanted more.

He felt a bit sad though to have to part with the alpha and had offered to go back with him but had been turned down. Arthur knew he was just looking out for him but Arthur also knew his own limits. He didn’t fight it though, still in a rather good mood and wanting to ride that feeling for as long as he could. Who knew when they would have a moment next to slip away from Alfred’s family and spend time in private. It was big farm but they couldn’t just go out to the creek every time they wanted to nap together or to kiss.

Arthur touched his lips as he stepped into the house, air conditioning settling over his skin. He felt as if he’d been sitting by a poolside all day and was finally getting home. He hadn’t gone swimming in probably years though, always preferring to stay out of the water. He wasn’t a very good swimmer either so deeper waters scared him.

He wondered if Mattie could tell what he’d been up to when he walked into the kitchen. It wasn’t like she could read his scent but she always seemed very perceptive of things, even without that aspect. She smiled at him as she unwrapped an ice cream bar.

“Did you get more freckles while you were gone?”

Arthur flushed a bit, knowing it was a comment about the sun, but he’d always been self-conscious about them.

“Hopefully not,” he responded, heading over to a cabinet where the glasses were stored.

“You guys were gone longer than I thought. Would have thought you’d get bored or hot out there and want to come back sooner.”

“Well…” Arthur grabbed ice from the freezer in a handful and dumped them into his glass. “We were mostly in the shade and after we ate we took a nap.”

Mattie blinked. “Alfred took a nap?” She looked surprised, as if that was something he didn’t normally do. Arthur knew omegas slept more than alphas but it wasn’t entirely uncommon for alphas to want to take naps. Everybody usually got tired at some point in the day, no matter who they were. Arthur was just more used to acting on this tiredness and sleeping instead of trying to keep himself awake.

“Yes… I don’t know how long we napped for but he did.” Arthur didn’t think Mattie thought he was lying to her but he was surprised himself to hear that it was so uncommon of Alfred that it had Mattie paused for a moment.

He watched her begin eating her ice cream as he filled his cup with water. They were silent, Arthur slowly sipping at the water. He wondered if he should try to call his family while he waited for Alfred or if he should try to talk with Mattie some more. He didn’t have much to say, besides he couldn’t just admit to her he’d spent part of the afternoon making out with her brother. She probably wouldn’t enjoy that bit of information and Arthur was too embarrassed to ever consider telling her.

“Where are you parents?” he asked, realizing the house was eerily quiet. He hadn’t seen them out back of the house either when Alfred and him had returned. He didn’t want to pry into their lives, it wasn’t like he had to know.

“Hm? Oh I don’t know sometimes they just go into town or somewhere else on the farm without really saying anything. Mom’s always back in time to make dinner though. She likes cooking dinner a lot so if you need her for something she’ll definitely be back by 5:30.”

Arthur didn’t even know what time it was now and felt his gaze drift over to the clock on the wall. It was just turning four now. He hoped he would be hungry by then because her meals were always very delicious. He felt that since coming here his stomach and appetite had increased. He also felt that he was going to very easily put on some weight during this trip, but he figured since this was also a vacation of sorts in some ways it wasn’t that important. He just hoped Alfred would mind or notice.

“I’m going to go upstairs and give my family a phone call. If Alfred gets back before then would you please let him know I won’t be long?”

“Will do,” Mattie said, smiling as she bit into her ice cream. Arthur was amazed that she could do that without her teeth freezing over. He smiled and nodded a goodbye, taking his water with him as he went back upstairs. He knew it was night time but he also knew that his parents would still be awake. Or at least his brothers.

His mother answered and Arthur sat criss-cross on the end of his bed, the water glass sweating in his hand as he talked with her, chatting about the farm and promising to get pictures of it before he left. He told her about the horses and about Alfred’s family, hearing the teasing in her voice when she pointed out that he’d talked about almost everyone and everything but Alfred. He could also tell that she was worried though. Probably wondering if Arthur was really truly having a good time there and if Alfred was treating him okay. He did his best to calm all her fears, embarrassingly bringing himself to talk about how incredibly good and kind Alfred was. He was treating him more than okay to be honest, looking out for him and making sure Arthur had what he needed. He felt like he was telling his mother too much, or sounded like he was too deep in this, but at this point he didn’t mind.

“Just… be careful honey.”

“I know mum,” he murmured, taking another sip of his water. “I’m always careful.”

“I know you are. I trust you I just…”

“You still have doubts, I know…”

“Not about Alfred as a person. I don’t know him as well as you of course dear but I also know that getting close to another person can be difficult. Especially when you argue or something goes wrong… It’s even harder then. Everything’s so much more intimate.”

Except for their little bout the other day he and Alfred hadn’t really argued since then. Arthur wasn’t hoping they would though.

“You know that comparatively you’re more hot headed…”

“I blame that fully on Scott,” Arthur said, and the two of them both laughed.

“No mum but I uh… I understand. It’s been some getting used to… All of this is different than what I’m used to. It’s not just Alfred it’s his whole family too that I feel like I need to… well impress,” Arthur nervously took another sip of his water. He didn’t like admitting such personal things out loud, even with his mother who he felt very close to.

“Well if they haven’t called me asking if they can send you home then I’m sure you’re making just a fine impression. You may have a bit of temper but you’re not impolite,” she said.

Arthur felt a swell in his chest. He missed his mother a lot.

“I bet you’d like Jas… she reminds me of you,” Arthur said, swallowing and feeling a bit choked up. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too honey. Do you want to talk to your father? We just put Peter to bed and I don’t want to wake him back up.”

“Sure I’ll talk to father. It’s all right- I should have called earlier. Tell Peter I’ll call him the next chance I get.”

“I’m sure he’ll be excited to talk to you. You know he’s always wanted to visit a farm and now that you’ve gone he’s been trying to get us to take him to one. Heaven knows why…”

Arthur laughed softly.

“Here’s your father. I love you sweetie.”

“I love you too mum.”

Arthur heard the phone shuffling as it was passed from her hand to his father’s and then the sound of his father’s voice. Despite being an alpha, he had a gentle and soothing voice. He used to read Arthur stories as a child, and his voice would always put him to sleep immediately. He knew he was protective of his family, but he always had a very logical and quiet way of going about it. His love of reading was something else Arthur had in common with him, so he felt it easier to connect with him. His father had also never seemed upset that Arthur was an omega, never thinking less of him, and Arthur very much appreciated this.

They talked for a bit more until Arthur’s cup was empty, Arthur finding himself telling his father about the farm, all the details he’d shared with his mother he went over them again. By the time they hung up Arthur had to use the restroom so he headed out onto the landing and made his way into the bathroom, only to find someone in there.

“Oh I’m so sorry-”

“No no it’s okay,” Jas said, turning around.

“The door was open-’

“I’m just cleaning dear. There’s no need to apologize,” she smiled. Arthur could now see the sponge in one hand, both covered with big gloves.

“I’ll just use the other bathroom…”

“No no dear I just finished up it’s okay.”

“I really don’t want to dirty things right after you’ve cleaned.”

Arthur stood still in the doorway, feeling awkward until he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped slightly.

“We hanging out in the bathroom now?” Mattie asked, grinning.

Jas laughed and Arthur flushed. “I am done now dear and it’s perfectly fine for you to use it. I should be starting on dinner now anyway.” She began cleaning up her supplies.

“Is Alfred back yet?” Arthur asked. “I didn’t hear the door open…”

“Yeah he got back but he’s outside with dad. I’m sure he’ll be in soon, probably drawn in by the smell of mom’s cooking.” She laughed and patted him once more before heading off to her bedroom.

Arthur finished up, taking his time to wash his hands. He washed his face as well, wanting to make sure it was clean and all before he went down to spend time with Alfred’s family. He was feeling thirsty again so he went back into his bedroom to grab his water glass so he could take it with him to refill it.

Mattie wasn’t in her bedroom when he passed it now, the door opened. Alfred always kept this shut and Arthur hadn’t ever gone in there so he didn’t know if he was in there now. He wasn’t going to pry though so he decided to head downstairs. He wanted to see if he could help Jas with preparations, although he didn’t think she would want his help cooking. That would probably ruin the meal entirely and he wasn’t about to piss off Alfred’s entire family.

He was halfway down when he heard the sound of raised voices coming from the kitchen. He slowed his pace, wondering what had happened or what they were talking about. He heard a few words but didn’t know exactly what they were saying. He didn’t want to be suspicious or spy but some part in his gut told him that they were talking about him.

He couldn’t make out anything else so he slowly crept down the rest of the stairs and closer to the kitchen.

“He’s ruining this,” Arthur heard Ben say and he felt a twist in his gut.

“Dad you’re being ridiculous,” Mattie said.

“I’m being ridiculous!? He’s got his head in the clouds-”

“Ben! Hush,” Jas said. “Your voice is too loud.”

Arthur stood frozen. He’d thought Ben hadn’t minded him… had he done something to piss Alfred’s father off?

“This conversation is not over,” Ben threatened, but quieted down some. “As soon as dinner’s over, we’re having a talk.”

“Nobody wants to talk with you dad when you’re being this stubborn and you’re not listening-” Alfred protested.

“I said we are having a talk whether you like that or not. And whatever decision I make is final, you understand? This is not something you get to choose on your own this is something we do as a family. And if I say he goes, then he goes.”

The glass of melted ice slipped through Arthur’s hand and smashed and shattered on the floor.

He saw Alfred’s face first. There was no way he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t been standing there but he could try to pretend he didn’t hurt as much as he did right now. Did Ben really hate him that much that he wanted him gone immediately? Had Arthur done something to lead him to believe that Arthur wanted to cause him or his family any ill will?

“Are you okay darlin’?” Alfred asked, seeing the smashed glass on the floor. “Are you cut? What happened? Don’t move,” he instructed. He leaned back into the kitchen. “Ma get the broom.”

Arthur heard an oh dear from the kitchen and then Alfred was there with him again. He could see Mattie peeking around, trying to see what had happened. Arthur still felt stuck in place, not because of what Alfred had said but because of what he had heard.

It seemed Alfred could sense his distress and stepped around. “Artie? Darlin’? Are you hurt?” He gently put his hand on Arthur’s elbow. Arthur didn’t even have the strength to fight him off.

“I-I’m sorry,” he said.

Alfred looked even more concerned and worried. “For what?”

“The glass…”

“We have loads others Artie. Can you answer me? I need to know you didn’t cut yourself. You’re not bleeding anywhere are you?”

Arthur didn’t think he was but he checked himself over anyway. Alfred gently picked him up and moved him away from the glass. “I think my ankle…”

“I got you.”

“Mattie will you help me clean this up?” Jas asked. Arthur looked back to see Ben there by her side, taking the broom from her.

“I’ll get it,” he said. “Stay away from the glass,” he said. It was the last thing he saw and heard before being carried into the bathroom and set on the counter.

“Where?” Alfred asked, lifting Arthur’s leg delicately and inspecting the foot after Arthur pointed. “Just a small nick.” He moved to the bathroom cabinet and pulled out some disinfectant and some bandaids. “I’ll just get this cleaned up and you’ll be good,” he said, offering Arthur a smile to try and calm him.

Arthur didn’t respond, thoughts still racing. Did Alfred not know he’d heard? Was he just pretending he hadn’t? What was Arthur supposed to say?

Alfred finished quickly and effectively. He lifted his gaze and leaned forward, putting his hands on either side of Arthur and boxing him in on the counter.

“Ya gotta talk to me Artie. Your scents all off- more so than it should be for a cut like this. What happened? How’d ya drop it?”

Arthur figured it was better to get this out in the open now. “I heard what you’re father said.”

Alfred looked like he was waiting for Arthur to say more then he looked confused when he didn’t. “Yea?”

“That’s it?” Arthur repeated, now he was the one surprised and confused. “Your father says something like that and you’re just telling me “yes”?” Arthur cried in frustration, nearly going into hysterics that his own potential mate hadn’t even bothered to defend him to his father. And then panicking about the thought that perhaps Alfred didn’t really want Arthur anymore. How could it be that only Mattie had stood up for him? Didn’t what had happened earlier that day mean anything?

“I didn’t think you would care about that-”

“Not care?” Arthur demanded, bringing up a finger to point in anger. “You think I wouldn’t care when your father hates me and wants me out immediately? Well I don’t know what kind of omega you think I am or even what person you think I am that wouldn’t get upset. I heard him say that I was ruining this and-”

“Whoa whoa whoa Pa doesn’t hate ya.” Alfred immediately grabbed for Arthur’s hand and pulled it his lips, kissing the palm and trying to soothe him. Arthur tried to pull his hand away, upset tears burning in the corners of his eyes. “Artie baby… He wasn’t talking ‘bout ya,” Alfred said calmly, scenting into Arthur’s hand and kissing his fingers. Arthur hated himself for how much that nickname affected him. “Mattie’s been seeing this Alpha boy that Pa don’t like…” Alfred searched Arthur’s gaze. “How come ya think Pa would want ya gone?”

Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur and pulled him to the edge of the counter into a secure hug. Arthur buried his face into Alfred’s shoulder, holding back a sob. He felt humiliated. He’d misunderstood and had even yelled at Alfred over it. He’d just so strongly convinced himself that he was the one ruining this and that Alfred’s father had seen right through him. A no good omega coming into their lives and ruining Alfred.

Arthur slid his arms up around Alfred’s neck and returned the hug. “I-I’m sorry,” he whispered, sniffing as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I didn’t mean to yell I just-”

“It’s okay,” Alfred said, running a hand up and down Arthur’s back. “It’s okay I understand. Shh…” Alfred held him like that until he’d calmed down enough. “Let’s get your pretty face washed up okay Artie? Ma think I did something wrong and made ya start crying. She’ll be breathin’ down my back ya know.”

Arthur smiled a bit, sniffing again, and nodded. Alfred leaned forward and gently kissed him then placed a softer kiss on his cheek.

“Is your ankle okay?”

“Mhm… It was just a small cut.”

“Ya gotta be more careful Artie,” Alfred said, helping him down off the counter and getting a wash cloth for him. “I ain’t gonna be able to carry ya when I’m old ya know.”

Arthur managed a laugh this time, accepting the wash cloth and thanking him. He was glad the misunderstanding had been resolved rather quickly, but he was still upset at himself for letting it come to such a point. He needed to get a better grip on himself- his exterior was starting to crack. There was a chance something else could happen and he would just slip, and whatever he said or did he wouldn’t be able to take it back. And he knew Alfred wouldn’t forgive him so easily then.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

The next days passed by in a tumble, lazy with sun and warm with Alfred’s presence. It was the end of the week before Arthur even realized it. Soon the end of week two would come and Arthur would be boarding a plane to go back home, hopefully with a happy heart instead of a heavy one. His doubts that had been so strong at the beginning slowly ebbed away until they were only a small murmur on the back of his mind that visited him late at night. When Alfred was busy Arthur spent his time helping Jas in the garden, picking tomatoes and helping to wash them. She taught him how to prepare a proper marinara sauce and Arthur struggled not to cut his or her fingers off when dicing the tomatoes. Mattie watched and teased Arthur but he didn’t really take it to heart. He knew this wasn’t a strong suit, but he was just happy to actually be helpful. And when the sauce was completed Arthur felt a bit proud of himself, hoping it tasted good. He wanted to seek Alfred’s praise at dinner time when he ate the food and could proudly say he’d help to prepare it. Arthur felt the image was very domestic but couldn’t help himself.

In the times Alfred and him could actually find themselves alone they would steal kisses from one another, always keeping a watchful eye in case Mattie was sneaking around. She seemed to have a fun time teasing her brother and making him bashful to be caught kissing Arthur on the couch or in the hallway. Arthur wanted sometimes very much to dig himself a hole and crawl into it, but he liked Alfred’s kisses far too much to consider such a thing. Besides, most of Mattie’s teasing was light-hearted and usually directed at Alfred instead of him, so Arthur felt he always got off pretty easy. If he’d been caught kissing around his brothers it would have been a different feeling and story all together. They were merciless with their teasing, even if they meant good fun and probably would just want to look after their omega brother.

Arthur sometimes caught himself wondering what Alfred would be like around his siblings. He found himself daydreaming, thinking about how good Alfred would be around Peter. He almost wished he could invite Peter to the farm. The boy would love to run around and probably terrorize the chickens or get to ride a horse for the first time. He’d want to try to catch the tadpoles and Alfred would be right alongside of him with that boyish energy of his. He didn’t know Alfred’s opinion on children or having them but something about him made Arthur think he would be a wonderful father. He would often doze off to these thoughts, curled up on chairs and couches with a book in his lap when Alfred was not around to keep him company. His dreams were full of lemonade and children laughing and Arthur would wake up wondering just how deep he’d dug himself into with this relationship. There was no doubt on his mind that, if Alfred asked and if Alfred wanted to, he would readily agree to start a family with him.

He wondered if Alfred could smell it on his scent at times, that yearning for a domestic life with the alpha. Could he tell in the way Arthur talked to him about Peter or in the way he curled against him on the couch while they watched movies that Arthur wanted almost nothing more than to be with Alfred? It wasn’t as if he’d been expecting to feel this way about him, or that the revelation had really come about just now. He’d already been keen on the idea even before coming to America, back when they would chat online. It’s not like the feelings were only really showing themselves now, he’d thought of them before, but it was just that they were being expanded upon and emphasized more than he thought he could handle.

Being around Alfred made him want to be around the alpha even more, if that was possible. Even though sometimes Alfred would wake Arthur up too early to take him on whatever adventure he’d had planned for that day, or sometimes he talked too much and too fast about things Arthur didn’t know or understand, or even at times he had the energy and attention span of a young boy which made it hard to keep up with him or really get his focus. They had different opinions on food and actors and music. Alfred tried to play songs for Arthur and Arthur tried to turn a lot of them off, just to have Alfred pout at him until he could put them back on. He tried to get Arthur to dance and Arthur had stepped all over his feet and toes, the romantic sentiment turning awkward and embarrassing. Sometimes they fumbled around one another and sometimes they matched. It was always a different day or a different moment when they didn’t know what to say or do, as if they were new friends testing one another out. But Arthur loved all of this, even the parts that irritated them both to the point that sarcastic quips would fall from their lips.

Arthur was also happy for some other changes. Like the fact he felt he was growing closer to Alfred’s family as well. He and Jas got along the most outside of Alfred and him, but he’d also gotten to spend time with Mattie too. Arthur was just glad that when Alfred had chores around the farm he wouldn’t be spending all of his time alone. He liked Alfred’s sister and they had a lot of interests in common from books to music. She performed cello pieces for him and he was amazed at how extremely talented she was on the instrument. She always tried to teach him some and Arthur found it came along easier than he thought. He was by no means a pro at it or even good enough to play through a whole song without messing up a bunch. Arthur wished he had his guitar to perhaps play for Mattie or even Alfred, and teach her in return.

Alfred’s father was still a bit of a mystery to him with how little he saw of the man. He’d felt bad since that night when he’d broken the glass, blaming his father for a misunderstanding. Arthur didn’t think Ben knew exactly what had happened but he still felt bad about it all the same. He tried to converse with him at dinner but the man was quiet and preferred to listen rather than chat. Arthur found that in reality it was the children and Jas who kept most of the conversation and energy going which was surprising to him. He wondered now too if Alfred would settle down when he was older as Ben had, becoming more quiet and contemplative. Arthur couldn’t picture it with how much Alfred loved to smile and talk now.

He was now halfway through eating a snack when Alfred came into the kitchen, all sweaty wearing a tight sleeveless shirt that fit to his form, a plaid shirt tied around his waist, and a small wash cloth settled on his shoulder. He grinned at Arthur before taking a sip from a water bottle, a bit of water running down his chin and neck. Arthur nearly choked on the bit of orange he was eating and coughed, grabbing for his own water. Alfred smiled at him warmly and went over the sink to wet the washcloth, running it over the back of his neck. “Hot out there,” he commented, glancing over at Arthur. “How’s your food?”

It took Arthur a moment to respond. And even then he had to look away to form a proper sentence. “It’s delicious as usual. E-er… I haven’t been outside yet.” Arthur had been avoiding the heat and relishing the air conditioning. Jas had warmed him it wasn’t breezy enough to take naps on the porch like he’d been doing. He’d spent most of the day reading and calling up Peter to talk to him and ask how school was going.

“Really?” Alfred moved from the sink to the table where Arthur was, taking a slice of orange and popping it into his mouth. “Mm… how about we go visit the kittens again today?” Alfred suggested.

Arthur perked up. It was a bit of a walk but he wanted to see how they were doing. Alfred seemed to notice the change and chuckled. “Let me get changed and we’ll head over.”

Arthur kept his silent, not wanting to voice his thoughts aloud that he thought what Alfred was wearing right now was perfectly fine. He didn’t stop the alpha from leaving though and sighed to himself. He finished up his orange and washed the sticky citrus from his fingers. Cleaning up after himself he finished just in time to see Alfred again, walking down the hallway outside of the kitchen. Arthur stepped out to meet him, seeing he was wearing a light blue shirt now, still fitted and perfectly tight in all the right places on his chest and arms. Arthur avoided his gaze when he looked questioningly at him and instead moved to put on his shoes.

“Ain’t ya wanna change too?” Arthur glanced down at his clothes, thinking they were fine. “Today’s a real scorcher ya got anything lighter or shorter?” Alfred asked.

“I… I suppose…” He remembered the last time they’d walked to the stables and it had been hot then. Alfred was probably right so he went upstairs, finding a t-shirt and surprisingly a pair of shorts he’d forgotten he’d brought. He didn’t often wear shorts just because of how pale his legs were. He didn’t like people seeing such bare skin but if it was just Alfred and him he figured he didn’t have to mind as much.

He headed back down and saw Alfred do a visible double take.

“I didn’t think ya even owned a pair of shorts Artie.” Arthur rolled his eyes but shyly blushed at Alfred’s next comment. “They look good on ya.” He didn’t miss the way Alfred’s eyes trailed down his legs, but wondered if it was just his imagination at the way Alfred licked his lips. He felt a bit of change in Alfred’s scent that was only disrupted by the front door opening, Mattie stepping in and fanning herself.

“Al it’s too fucking hot outside- Oh. Arthur wow you’re legs are pale,” she commented.

“I-I know,” Arthur responded quickly, wishing he’d decided to continue wearing pants instead. He felt he wouldn’t regret it later though if it really was as hot as Alfred said it was.

“Where you guys headed to?”

“Seeing the kittens again,” Alfred responded, stepping past Mattie to get the door and hold it open for Arthur.

Mattie laughed and headed down the hallway, calling back to them, “Well have fun with that!”

At the barn Arthur passed by the horses and up the ladder once more, this time making sure not to slip off like he’d done before. Didn’t want to have any injuries. He moved to the side a bit even though there was plenty of room up there for the two of them. He could hear the mewing of kittens and slowly moved over towards them, being careful not to disturb or frighten them. He cooed at them and glanced happily back at Alfred as one of them stumbled over to sniff at him. He felt he couldn’t have been happier in that moment. They were still very small. Arthur just wanted to pick them all up and kiss them or lie down and have them smother him; he didn’t know which would be better.

He was slightly surprised their mother was not more protective of them but pleased because it meant he could freely play with them. “You’re gonna make me envious,” Alfred said, sitting down next to Arthur with a grin.

“You love them too,” Arthur said and Alfred laughed.

“It’s true.”

Arthur gathered up a small marmalade colored one and cradled it to his chest, feeling it pur against him. He didn’t know how long they played with the kittens but eventually the sun came through a skylight and the kittens found sleep in the warmth. Arthur had to admit it had been hot on the walk over, more so than the days before. He was worried he was going to get another patch of unwanted freckles or sunburn. At least the shorts had helped and this time and he’d worn more proper shoes. He felt he was finally getting used to walking around the farm too. At least comparatively to the first time he wasn’t completely worn out.

He was slightly thirsty and glad Alfred had brought a water bottle with them. He popped the cap off and took a swig, offering it to the alpha afterwards.

“I wish I could be a kitten and just curl up in the sun and sleep,” Arthur commented, settling back against the wall.

“Well the kittens are hoggin’ all the sun but if ya wanted to take a nap here ya can,” Alfred suggested.

Arthur glanced over. He didn’t particularly think the wood planks were the most comfortable thing to sleep on.

“Be right back,” Alfred said, and climbed down the later. He heard him below rooting through stuff but couldn’t see him. Arthur waited, curious to know what Alfred was getting when suddenly pillows and two large blankets were being thrown up onto the loft where he was. One of the blankets almost slipped off the edge but Arthur grabbed at it and pulled it up the rest of the way. Alfred came back up the later and started spreading the blankets out on the ground, making a thick soft layer.

“Mattie and I would sometimes camp out over here or bring our friends out here for sleepovers. She more than me but…” Alfred shrugged a bit. “Much better,” he said, patting them. “I don’t think you’ll get too cold out here but c’mon.” Alfred stretched himself out on his side and motioned for Arthur to come join him on the blanket. Arthur gladly, although shyly, accepted the invitation. He crawled over and situated himself next to Alfred, although the alpha was warm and it was hot out Arthur found himself pressing up against him anyway. At least the loft had a bit of coolness to it. Arthur found himself drifting off pretty quickly but awoke with his back to Alfred. He blinked, wondering how long he’d napped for.

Alfred was spooned behind him, arm wrapped over his waist. Arthur wondered if he’d fallen asleep too but couldn’t really roll over to tell without disturbing him. He could see the kittens asleep still and yawned, feeling sated and comfortable.

“Ya ‘wake?” he heard Alfred murmur behind him. He sounded a bit groggy and Arthur wondered if he’d just woken up.

“Mhmm…” He stretched a bit and twisted himself around, looking over Alfred’s face. He always wondered how that one curl of hair managed to stay up all the time. Did it stay that way even when Alfred showered too?

Alfred gave him a lazy smile and, using the arm around Arthur’s waist, pulled him closer. They didn’t have to speak or ask to really tell what the other wanted. They kissed softly and gently at first, no longer as shy about it as they had been before. They had Alfred to thank for that, always trying to kiss Arthur around the house. He remembered standing by the toaster, watching Alfred come by to get a glass from high up in the cabinet. He’d seen him glance around the kitchen before leaning down and quickly pressing his lips to Arthur’s just before Jas had walked in.

Alfred turned them now and pushed himself up over Arthur, the blankets getting a bit tangled and shifted with the movement. Arthur rested his hands on Alfred’s waist and tilted his head back to kiss Alfred more. He felt a tentative hand push his shirt up only a little bit, Alfred using one arm to hold himself up as he gently touched and stroked near Arthur’s hip and along his stomach. He moved his own hands up Alfred’s waist to mirror the touches, slipping them up his chest. The more his hands moved up the more Alfred pushed at his shirt.

“Your skin’s soft Artie…” he said softly. Alfred was pressing down nearer to him now their bodies so close to touching and being fully flush against one another. Arthur hooked an arm around the back of Alfred’s neck and gasped a little bit as felt him squeeze at his hip and brush his fingers down to his thigh.

Fingers tangled into hair and toes pushed blankets around on the floor, and Arthur didn’t even mind the creak of the floor boards. It was him and Alfred close to one another, soaking up each other's’ presence and scents. Alfred’s scent of pine came back strong and fresh and filled Arthur wish a desire for more. They hadn’t gone this far in touching one another before this, but neither seemed to want to shy away from it now.

Alfred pulled back only to lay kisses to Arthur’s neck, whispering to him, “Is this okay?”

With Arthur’s nod of permission he continued. “Your scent is sweet,” he murmured, bringing forth a slight flush to Arthur's’ cheeks. “Mm like that,” Alfred said, Arthur feeling the brush of his lips against his neck as he spoke.

The soft kisses turned to small nips which made Arthur wiggle around a bit; and then turned from nips to Alfred leaving marks where his lips touched. Arthur pressed his hips up, holding desperately onto Alfred as the sensitivity of his body heightened. Alfred’s free hand mapped out the length of Arthur’s torso, feeling him from chest down to his thigh then dipping into the inner part. It made it all that much more sensitive to Arthur because he was wearing the shorts. Alfred’s fingers slipped up teasingly into them, the ticklish warm sensation leaving Arthur shivering and biting his lip to stop another gasp. “‘M glad you wore these,” Alfred purred.

“R-really?” Arthur asked, surprised and breathy.

He didn’t know how but the transition between hesitant touches dissolved into desperation for more and soon they were slotted hip to hip. Alfred pressed down and Arthur pressed up and he moaned as Alfred rolled his hips against Arthur’s, leaving a hot yearning in his body. He found himself gripping Alfred tighter, spreading his legs more so the alpha could fit between them.

“Artie… doll mm…” Alfred breathed in Arthur’s ear, biting the shell of it softly and tugging it between his teeth. “How’s that feel darlin’?” he asked in a low rumble and Arthur moaned in response when he pushed his hips faster. They rutted and ground against one another faster until Arthur was being pushed into one of the pillows.

“Al-Alfred I… It- so good…” Arthur’s words were stuttered, unable to focus. He could hear Alfred groaning above him and knew it must have felt as good for him as it did for Arthur. Alfred pushed his nose back into the crook of Arthur’s neck and thrusted. Arthur wrapped his legs up around Alfred’s waist as if that would make them any closer. He moaned Alfred’s name the high climbing and climbing in him and he couldn’t stop himself with that bliss hit and rolled through him. Alfred was close with him so much so that they rode out their orgasms with one another, hips no longer as coordinated before.

Arthur’s lips sought out Alfred’s and he kissed him, needing to feel that closeness in the post-pleasure high. He didn’t realize he was trembling until he saw his shaky hands trying to cup Alfred’s face and bring him down into the kiss more.

They broke away, light panting filling the silence and caught each other’s gaze. Both were flushed with sweat from the heat and work and Arthur could swear he probably had red on his cheeks, a usual for him at this point.

“Was that…?” Alfred searched Arthur’s eyes, looking concerned for a moment.

Arthur gently shushed him and offered a small smile. He felt more embarrassed than the time at the creek after their first kiss but he was also feeling too good to really care. Alfred’s scent was on him, all over him. He felt his body was soaking it up wanting it to cling to him forever and not let it go. Arthur would be pleased if it was like this all the time.

“We should… clean up… “ Arthur suggested, although he didn’t want to move even as he spoke the words. Alfred smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled a bit. He kissed Arthur’s cheek. “Guess we should have thought of that… I know we have blankets but I dont know ‘bout any changes of clothes. Lemme see if I can find us somethin’ to wrap around our waists.”

“And that won’t be obvious?” Arthur asked, teasing at Alfred.

“We’ll sneak in all stealth like,” Alfred said but Arthur was already laughing. He sat up and looked over Alfred, wishing he could have gotten to touch him more, maybe gotten him to take off his shirt.

“I’m pretty sure even if Mattie doesn’t spot us immediately that your parents going to smell your scent all over me.”

Alfred paused, considering this, like he hadn’t really thought of or realized that before. And he probably didn’t have any of those soaps that helped to wash off scents like this. “Well…” Alfred moved back over to Arthur and wrapped his arms around him, gathering him closer. “The way I see it is we are adults and… My scent on ya is great so I don’t care how much Mattie teases.” He kissed Arthur’s forehead and smiled fondly at him. “‘Sides at least Mattie can’t smell us so we have some time before dinner.”

“That’s very true…”

They sat like that for a moment more before Alfred went off to find something and in the end they decided their only option was to douse each other completely in water then walk back and hope the sun dried them up a bit. Arthur felt ridiculous in his wet clothing but at least Alfred looked good with that wet shirt clinging to his frame. He held Alfred’s hand all the way back to the house and wished and hoped that the rest of the week would pass by slowly.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dialogue heavy.  
> this chapter's a bit shorter. next is a bit longer

“And that was Bach’s Suite No. 2 in D Minor,” Mattie announced proudly, lifting her bow from the string as the last note resounded through the room for just a moment. She was perched on the edge of her chair, cello resting against her shoulder, and smiling at Arthur and Jas who were seated next to one another on her bed. They both began clapping, Jas praising her daughter and the three of them smiling. Mattie bowed a bit and laughed. “Definitely less morose than the Sarabande,” she added.

“The Prelude is always my favorite,” Jas said, turning to look at Arthur as she did. She looked back at her daughter. “Could you please play it for him dear? Are your fingers hurting?”

Mattie shrugged. “Fingers always hurt mom but I don’t mind.” She lifted her bow up again. “Oh one sec. One of the strings is slightly out of tune.”

Mattie set the bow down on her desk gently then reached up to slightly twist at a knob at the bottom of the string, plucking the string as she did so. The three of them were in Mattie’s bedroom, the door and window open, a light breeze shifting through. Mattie had lit incense too, setting up a nice and calming atmosphere. If it had been his own bed Arthur would have wanted to lay down and fall asleep to the sweet sounds of the cello. They’d been sitting there for a majority of the afternoon, at first spending time together after lunch, but then Jas had suggested Mattie perform some pieces for Arthur. What had started out as silly covers of pop songs had quickly transformed into grand and complex pieces that Arthur could have never dreamed of playing, even on the guitar which he knew. Not to mention the cello sounded lovely. Mattie was truly talented on the instrument and Arthur could see the fondness and effort she’d put into her practice.

When she’d finished tuning up the string she began to play more for the two of them. Arthur closed his eyes but then realized that was dangerous because he was close to falling asleep. When she finished he could hear a wind chime from the front porch and clapped for her once again.

“Magnificant! When is the concert?” Jas asked.

Mattie laughed a bit. “I wish. Imagine me, performing for hundreds.”

“I can,” Arthur said, really meaning it.

“You’d have a lot of lovely flowers sent to you from plenty of admirers.”

Mattie blushed a bit. “I will admit that I want to be showered in flowers but you know I only want one admirer.”

The atmosphere seemed to grow a bit tense.

“Aw mom I thought you’d be on my side about this.”

Arthur could see the frown on Jas’s lips, that mother-filled worry that all mothers seemed to hold. He wondered if this had been about the other night with Ben, and Alfred mentioning the alpha that Mattie had been interested in. He supposed it couldn’t really be about anyone else. While he was aware of a mother’s concern for their daughter, especially when it came to romance and dating, he couldn’t help but feel as if Ben had been a little unfair, just from what he’d overheard. Of course, he didn’t want to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. He didn’t know anything about the alpha in question and it wouldn’t do him any good to make assumptions on the matter. Who knew it could be that the alpha in question was just as bad as Ben made him out to be and that Ben was only looking out for Mattie.

Arthur kept quiet though, wondering if they would talk more, and wondering if he should leave the room. If things became more awkward he would try to excuse himself. They’d decided to spend the day together like this because Alfred and Ben were out doing chores around the farm. Arthur did not envy the amount of work Alfred must be doing. He’d promised Arthur he would be done by late afternoon though and had a surprise for him. Arthur was curious but Alfred hadn’t given any hints away, even with Arthur’s poking and prying. Whatever it was, most of Alfred’s other ideas had turned out quite nice so Arthur didn’t think the alpha would plan anything unwanted. 

He decided though instead of holing himself up in his bedroom, napping, reading a book, or calling home, that he would spend the time with Mattie and Jas. He enjoyed their company, feeling it was pleasant to be around them. He always got to hear stories of Alfred that the alpha wouldn’t give up himself. Dinner time was also a time for stories, Arthur had discovered. The family poking at one another with embarrassing stories of their younger years, laughing and reddening in the face. As always, the teasing and laughter reminded him of his own family. Although there was usually more fighting with his own family involved. More arguing of his brothers over everything they could find to argue about. Arthur tried to picture Mattie and Alfred arguing or fighting but somehow it never came out quite right. They both just seemed too sweet to do something like that. Arthur didn’t think he’d ever heard Alfred raise his voice anyway. Not that he wanted to or wanted to provoke anyone else into having Alfred do such a thing.

“I am dear I’m just concerned… and your father…”

“Dad’s just making assumptions,” Mattie insisted. “He’s not a bad alpha or-”

“He didn’t really give the best first impression-”

“So what you don’t give him another chance?”

There was a silence that fell over him. Arthur didn’t know how to try and help. He’d never been in a situation like this and while he understood where Mattie’s parents were coming from but he also also understood where Mattie was coming from too. If he had someone he really cared about and his parents had quarrels with them he would want to fight for that person too. He did think however that it was interesting Mattie was with an alpha. It was rare but not impossible

“Why don’t I go fix us some snacks?” Jas suggested, getting up from the bed and hurrying from the bedroom before another word could be said. Mattie huffed, closing her eyes and slumping back in her seat.

“Are you alright?” Arthur asked, after a brief moment of silence. He didn’t want to pry but he also wanted to extend his help to Mattie.

“Yeah just… This happens every time. The two of them won’t budge.” Mattie began packing up her cello, pushing the endpin up again and zipping the cello in its case. “He’s… well… the alpha- Gil, he’s a little bit…” She looked like she was struggling for the right word. “Unruly. But not bad, definitely not bad.” She smiled to herself a bit and Arthur felt it was reminiscent of the way he must have looked when he was thinking about Alfred or talking about him. “It’s most likely because his and dad’s personalities are so different that they just won’t get along. At least, not any time soon. I just hope eventually that dad gets around and out of this stubborn mindset. Mom’s only on the fence because she wants to please both me and dad.”

Arthur nodded. He wondered what kind of person Gil was to put Ben off that much. And to have such a name as ‘Gil’.

“I wanted to invite Gil out tonight to the- oh shit,” she said, stopping herself.

“Invite him to what?”

Mattie smiled. “Sorry, Alfred has sworn me to secrecy. He’d kill me if I gave it away.” Arthur pouted a bit but didn’t press Mattie for more info. He only had to wait until tonight. “Anyway, there’s a chance you’ll meet him or you won’t. Knowing Gil he’ll probably try to come. Not like dad will find out unless Alfred says something.”

“How does Alfred feel about Gil?”

“Hm… Alfred’s kind of in the same position, wanting to please dad and I, but I think he’s leaning more towards me. I think he just wants me to be happy you know? Your brothers like that?”

Arthur shrugged, laughing a bit. “Yes, they can be. As annoying as they are, they did let me come here after all.”

Mattie smiled now. “I think dad would explode if I said I was leaving the country to visit Gil for two weeks. Not that I have to though. Oh sorry- I didn’t mean…”

“It’s all right,” Arthur said.

“You going to miss Alfred?” Mattie asked. “Well that’s probably a dumb question but… I bet it will be hard, having to go back only having two weeks with one another. You all seemed to have grown even closer since you’ve come.”

“We have…” Arthur said, thinking back on the time that had passed. He was sad to see it go, happy to be with his family once more, but sad to have to leave Alfred behind. If only he could take him with. Alfred was needed here on the farm though and he felt it was too soon. Besides, Arthur wasn’t even sure they had room in their house for Alfred. They had no guest bedrooms, and their home was squashed in a small row of other houses in a city neighborhood. Arthur wasn’t sure Alfred would like the crowded, small space, especially in comparison to just the huge amount of land he had here.

Arthur kept telling himself he needed to think about what was going to happen at the end of the two weeks and what they would decide and how they would go from here. But he also kept trying to convince himself that he didn’t have to make that decision yet or think about those things yet. He could just keep putting it off and then sit Alfred down and talk it over with him some point later. Yet he knew as time had been going that the end of the two weeks would come rolling up faster than he could imagine and all the time he seemed to think he had would be gone.

Part of him wondered if Alfred thought about it too. If he kept pushing it off himself, wanting to somehow draw out the rest of their days together. Arthur, for now, refused to let any negative thoughts push at him. He didn’t want to spend the last days wallowing in misery. He told himself he just needed to focus on enjoying things. Enjoying talking with Mattie and her mother and spending time with Alfred and eating wonderful food and trying to memorize the way the sun crept in through the blinds when he took his afternoon naps. He was going to miss this place, he realized. It was slowly becoming something familiar and dear to him. The people and the horses and the creek and the way the fields rolled out behind the house- Arthur was going to miss all of it. Even if there was a chance to come back, who knew when he’d have the funds to or the time or what. He just had to believe that they would talk things through and figure everything out.

“Well, I do hope to meet him. I’m sure if he’s Mattie approved he can’t be that bad of an alpha.”

“Thanks Artie,” Mattie said. “Hope you don’t mind me using that nickname too. It just sort of stuck.”

“I don’t mind at all. I would have corrected you beforehand.”

“Alfred would have probably just kept calling you Artie anyway. He was calling you that even before you got here. ‘Artie this’ or ‘Artie that’… Almost thought you were made up for quite a bit.”

“Really?”

Mattie pulled her legs up on the chair, now sitting criss-cross, and nodded with a grin. “He didn’t really ease any of us into the fact that he’d been on online sites you know? He didn’t mention anything about looking for an omega he just sort of started talking about you one day. We all didn’t know what to think really, just trying to be polite, thinking you were someone he knew from school or something like that. But then he kept bringing you up we started to wonder if you were even real or if he’d just gotten so lonely.”

The thought saddened Arthur, and it seemed to sadden Mattie too. He never wanted Alfred to be alone like that.

“Well I am real, as you now know.”

Mattie chuckled. “Ha yeah. Dad finally approached him and Artie you should have seen the look on Alfred’s face. He told us- ‘I thought I told you about Artie’. And all of us were like… what? You haven’t said anything at all and he was like ‘shit’.”

“He forget he didn’t tell you?” Arthur found that extremely funny and cute of the alpha. “I’ll have to tease him with that later.”

“Please do. He deserves it.”

“I brought cheese, apples, and crackers,” Jas said, coming back into the room with a tray. “And of course, my favorite, more lemonade.” She set the tray down, looking at Mattie with hesitance.

“Did you bring napkins?” Mattie asked, and Arthur knew that at least the arguing between the two of them would not start up again, at least not now.

“I wouldn’t forget.”

Jas passed out napkins to the each of them.

“Why don’t we all sit on the bed? There’s room enough,” Mattie suggested. Arthur moved and the three of them sat in a sort of circle, Mattie and him next to one another, Jas on the other side. They began eating, Mattie grabbing her laptop up and flipping through funny videos.

Arthur was in the middle of laughing and trying not to spit out a cracker when he heard footsteps on the staircase. He could see Alfred on the landing as he came up, looking over to where the giggling was coming from. Alfred caught his gaze and the corner of his lips quirked upwards. Arthur warmed at the sight of him. He looked showered and clean, sleeves pushed up around his elbows, shirt half way tucked into a belt.

“I wondered where ya’ll had gone,” he commented, coming to lean against the door, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just snacking. All play and no work.”

“We figured we’d leave that all to you, Alfred,” Jas replied.

“Uh huh. Ya’ll just in here up to no good.”

“There’s no room on the bed if you’re wondering,” Mattie said, spreading herself out a bit more.

“Why would I wanna sit on your bed anyway? Got my own.”

“Your bed doesn’t have Artie, though.”

Alfred made a tch noise and Arthur flushed. “Ya got me there,” Alfred said, but he was still smiling. He looked from Mattie to Arthur. “Ya enjoying your snack?”

“I am. I always enjoy the food here.”

“Thank you dear,” Jas said.

“Don’t let all that praise get to your head, mom,” Mattie teased, and Jas snatched away a piece of cheese from Mattie’s fingers, popping it in her mouth before Mattie could protest.

“Well Pa and I are finished up mostly. Gonna check on the chickens and then we’ll head out.”

“Right,” Mattie said, giving Arthur a look.

He wanted to know what their plans were and thought about it as he finished up his snack. Alfred had given him some suggestions on what to wear. Although it was hot out he knew it got colder at night. It was already late afternoon and he had said the place they were going to was going to be outside. Arthur knew he got cold easily so he put on pants and long sleeve shirt. He grabbed a light sweater to put on over that, but carried it for now. He could save it for later. Grabbing up his cell phone he met Mattie down by the door, and joined her in putting on his shoes.

Jas and Ben came to say their goodbyes, Jas of course telling them to drive safely. She kissed their cheeks, including Arthur’s, and then he followed Mattie and Alfred out to the car. He glanced once more at the house, the porch light on despite it still being daylight. He felt anticipatory, but had been told the drive would take about an hour. He didn’t know if he felt an hour was long or short anymore, his sense of time becoming so jumbled. An hour to think on the conversations he’d had that day. An hour to sit next to Alfred. Just an hour.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter and full of cheese

The drive passed with mostly scenery of other farms and then large, empty bits of land or trees as they got onto the interstate. The sun was getting lower in the sky but he knew they still had quite some time of daylight before it would grow dark. He kept trying to look out the window or off into the distance, seatbelt digging into his neck, as if he could just see where they were headed or what was coming. It was just horizon line or other farm houses, basking in a hay colored sun.

“Heard there was a tornado last week up north,” Mattie commented, looking over to where Alfred was in the driver’s seat. He nodded, expression a bit grim.

“That season, ain’t it,” he commented softly.

Arthur hadn’t heard about it but he didn’t want to pry. He assumed such a thing might happen a lot in this area. He knew the damage and destruction tornadoes could leave behind. He shuddered to think of something like that happening to Alfred’s family.

As if seemingly reading his thoughts Mattie turned around in her suit to look back at Arthur. “Have you ever experienced a tornado?” she asked. “Do they get them back where you’re from?”

“In England, yes sometimes. Where I live, not really. Your family?” he asked tentatively.

“Only when I was really little when I lived in Canada,” Mattie said. “Mom and I went into the basement with our bowls of mac and cheese we’d been eating and hid down there, waiting until it was safe to come out again. I don’t know about Al, though.” She glanced over his way for his input.

He just shook his head, shrugging his shoulders a bit. “Did the drills and all but was never in any real danger. Always thought it was strange being out in the open farm like this and yet all the damage seemed to come to the the city kids. I ain’t never want to think about goin’ through something like that. Probably a terrifyin experience.”

Arthur nodded, understanding. He couldn’t imagine how it must be but he was glad Alfred and Mattie were safe and that nothing bad had happened to them. He couldn’t help but look outside at the sky now, up to the clouds, wondering if their puffiness would darken and green and twist down towards the land. He’d heard about people who made it their profession to seek out and chase down tornadoes and couldn’t understand how anyone could live that kind of life being in such danger all the time. Even if it was to collect scientific data it didn’t seem the most ideal job.

No one really said anything after that. At least the conversation about tornadoes was dropped. Arthur couldn’t help but think of a movie he’d seen quite a long time ago about them but it was fuzzy and hard to remember. Mattie and Al talked in quiet murmurs with one another, not speaking loud enough for Arthur to hear over the buzz of the car and the hum of the road beneath them. He found himself calmed by the noise and was surprised when they finally slowed down, nearing a path and turning onto it. It led them down a gravel road, passing by crops poking tall out of the earth. When they rounded though, Arthur was greatly surprised to see a flat hills rolling off into the distance. He couldn’t see anything for miles and miles, just ground and grass and the way Alfred held the steering wheel in his hands.

“Almost there,” Mattie said, a grin on her face as she fished her phone out of her pocket. She started messaging someone after reading and flipping through a couple of things. Arthur decided instead to keep his eyes peeled on their surroundings wondering what it was they wanted to show him. Peeking out first was the tall beams and cables and then the rounded tip of a ferris wheel. After that it was long rows of car, parked in the grass. Alfred navigated his way to a spot, and Arthur could see people walking past them from their own spaces.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Only the best fair in the world,” Mattie said.

“Pretty sure the State Fair is better,” Alfred said, but he was grinning now. Mattie lightly punched him in the shoulder.

“Just because it doesn’t have a giant mascot statue doesn’t mean it isn’t still good.”

“You know the only reason to go are the rides and the food.”

“And the fun,” she said, opening the door and hopping out. She got Arthur’s door opened and offered him a hand to get out. He was always envious of hers and Alfred’s height, he thought as he got out of the truck. He rounded the truck, watching a group of young teenagers race forward towards the fair. They were parked kind of far away but Arthur could see where the ticket gates were, and where people gathered.

“Well what do ya think Artie? Ya excited? This a good surprise?”

“Quite a surprise,” Arthur responded with a smile. He honestly hadn’t expected something like this at all. He hadn’t been to any kind of fair since he was in high school and the prospect of getting to go with Alfred made him happy.

Taking Alfred’s hand was easy and they all moved up towards the entrance, Mattie walking in front of them, back on her phone again.

“Is Gil coming?” Arthur asked.

Alfred looked surprised and glanced at Mattie. “Yea… Mattie told ya ‘bout him?”

Arthur nodded. “When we were in her room earlier today she told me about him… and about your father.” Arthur hoped the topic was okay to bring up with Alfred. He didn’t want to ruin the mood for the night.

“Pa will come ‘round soon,” Alfred said. “He’s just worried is all.”

“Sounds like a bit over-worried.”

“I think it’s cause of Ma.”

“Jas?” Arthur asked, confused on what this had to do with Alfred’s mother.

“Before they got together the alpha Ma was with when she had Mattie wasn’t the best guy. She got out of it but it was hard for her and Mattie I heard… And then she met Pa later on and he was able to get her to open up to him so he’s been protective of her and Mattie since. Don’t want something like that happening to Mattie too… I don’t think Gil’s the kind of guy personally but…”

Arthur was surprised and sad to hear that Mattie and Jas had gone through something like that before finding Alfred’s family. He didn’t want to think of someone as kind and sweet as Jas was being in a relationship where someone was mistreating her. Alfred hadn’t gone into details but Arthur could only imagine that to have her close herself off like that it must have been pretty bad. It wasn’t always easy for omegas when looking for alphas to be with. Some of them could be cruel or too aggressive. Arthur wasn’t sure what he would have done in a situation like that, but he was thankful Jas now had someone who cared more about her. He had seen how Ben treated her and how she acted around him.

Alfred still looked a little angry and tense though, so Arthur squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Are you alright?”

“I just don’t understand some alphas,” Alfred responded, voice low. “If I ever saw an alpha mistreatin their omega…” he trailed off but the threat was there. It was an emotion Arthur hadn’t seen from Alfred before. Arthur wanted to console him although for what he didn’t know. He moved closer to Alfred’s side, trying to soothe him just with his presence.

He found Alfred letting go of his hand and thought he was going to pull away but he instead wrapped his arm around Arthur’s shoulder and gave him a slightly strained smile.

“Sorry,” he said. “Don’t mean to be getting all dark on ya.”

“It’s alright… I’m sorry to hear about Jas but I’m glad things are better. I can understand why Ben is careful about her and Mattie, but… I also trust Mattie too.”

He saw Alfred relax more, smile more genuine now. “Yeah I think Mattie’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

“I can hear you two talking about me,” Mattie called back. She stopped and turned to look at them, waiting until they caught up with her before she started walking again, now next to them. “Gil says he’s already here by the ticket booth.”

“Oh joy- hey.” Alfred rubbed where he’d been flicked.

“GIl and I are probably going to leave you two alone so you won’t have to worry about him.”

“Ya know I only like to joke with ya,” Alfred said.

When they neared the gate Alfred dug in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Arthur reached to grab his own when he remembered his money was in the pocket of the sweater he’d brought.

“Wait I left my sweater in the truck,” he said to Alfred.

“Ya can just borrow mine,” Alfred said, referring to the one he had currently slung over his shoulder.

“My money is in my sweater, though,” Arthur said, trying to stop so he could turn around and go back for his. He heard Alfred chuckle, not moving his arm from Arthur’s shoulders.

“Artie I’m gonna pay for ya, it’s fine,” he said.

“You have provided everything for me since I’ve arrived. The least I can do is pay for my own ticket.”

“What kind of date would I be if I let ya do that? Plus you’re a guest in our house it’s only reasonable,” he said easily.

“Fine,” Arthur huffed, knowing he wasn’t going to win this one. Alfred grinned and leaned down to kiss his temple before straightening back up. Besides, even if Arthur went back to the truck to get money Alfred would have already paid for his ticket by then. It really did feel like a date though. The kind he hadn’t gotten in high school- getting taken out to a fair or some other social activity, the alpha offering to pay. It was a romantic sort of notion Arthur thought only to be for books and movies. Going to movies or restaurants, ice skating… Arthur wondered if the alpha had gone ice skating before. It was something he enjoyed in the winter holidays. He was tempted to invite the alpha to England closer to Christmas time and take him ice skating and then… Then Alfred could meet his family and see what England was like.

Mattie had moved ahead of them and Arthur watched her walk up to meet a guy with the palest hair Arthur had ever seen before. It wasn’t even considered beach blonde it seemed so silver. Did he dye it? He smiled when he saw her and came forward to hug her. Alfred and Arthur joined them in a moment and he gave them a wave.

“Hey Alfred!” he had a loud voice, no country accent either, and Arthur realized his smile seemed to be permanent. He looked at Arthur. “Must be Arthur!” he said, offering his hand. Arthur shook it, surprised at the amount of energy Gil had. He didn’t sense anything bad from him however, and his demeanor although excited and lively, wasn’t bad.

“How are ya Gil?” Alfred asked, even though Mattie seemed to be dragging Gil away as he spoke. Arthur wondered if she didn’t get to see him often. Wasn’t like she could bring him around with her father at home. And they lived so far out in the country that going to visit him probably took a while. He didn’t know how far away Gil lived but he was happy she could have tonight with him. He wondered if she would have just come along with Alfred and Arthur and walked with them instead if she didn’t have Gil.

“I’m great just, well, I’ll talk to you later,” Gil said, laughing as he looked at Mattie. “No patience huh?” he asked her, letting her pull him towards the gate. Arthur couldn’t hear what they were saying either but let himself be led towards the entrance.

“He seems energetic,” he commented.

“Yep,” Alfred agreed. “Probably another reason Pa don’t really get along with him. Gil can be too much sometimes if you’re around him. Don’t know how Mattie does it, really. I think maybe she helps calm him? Ain’t really know for sure.” He shrugged, letting the conversation go to focus on getting two tickets. Arthur trailed along, looking around at the people and the stands he could see from the entrance. There were so many people walking around. Groups, families, couples, all ages. Small children ran around, the loud laughter of some alphas could be heard. Arthur curiously watched a group of young omega girls and boys chatter to one another, glancing over at someone Arthur couldn’t see. The loud atmosphere was certainly different and a change from the quiet of the farm, but Arthur didn’t mind.

Arthur found himself being nudged, his arm guided forward. “They need to put a wristband on ya Artie,” Alfred said, and Arthur held his hand out of the person to strap a paper band around his wrist.

They were let through into the area after that and walked into a small little clearing area. Off to the side was a statue of a cow and a pig in which children were trying to climb on, their parents wanting to take pictures of them.

“Are ya hungry? If ya gotta use the bathroom I suggest going now,” he said, motioning to a building with a restroom sign. “Hard to find bathrooms further into the fair,” he said. “Only porta potties really.”

“No I went before we left the house,” he said. He hadn’t anything to eat or drink since Mattie’s room. “And I’m not quite hungry yet.”

“That’s all right. There’s food ‘round everywhere so if ya get hungry just say the word. Also these wristbands will get us onto any of the rides but food and arcade games cost extra. I got us a couple tickets already for the games but not a lot.” Arthur glanced down at the wristband, wondering what kind of rides were there. “So what do ya wanna do first Artie?”

“Hm… well we could just walk around and do whatever looks good first?” he suggested. He didn’t have anything in mind he wanted to do right away. “I’m going to leave it up to you,” he said.

“Sounds good to me,” he responded, and laced their fingers together. They headed down a row of stalls, most of them for different kinds of foods. People moved around them, clumped up in lines by stands, or around games. There were stands that had different wares you could buy. Little trinkets, clothing, even stuff for pets. Arthur marveled at most of it, he and Alfred only making comments to point out things they saw. Arthur found the different foods to be the strangest to him. Pizza on a stick, donut burgers, all the world’s least healthy food packed into one place. He recognized at least some things. Big puffs of wispy cotton candy, snow cones, ice cream desserts, hot dogs. He saw a group of people, mostly alphas, gathered around a large stand like game labeled “High Striker” with the words “Test Your Strength!” written underneath. An alpha girl who looked to be about their age was there in front of it with a hammer poised in her hands. She raised it back and brought it slamming down, the little metal piece flying up the numbers on the stand, all the way up to a level marked 700, lights on the game flaring up. Some of the people watching cheered and she grinned, setting down the hammer and going over to an omega girl who kissed her.

“Do you want me to give it a go?” Alfred asked, grinning, but not moving forwards.

“You don’t have to,” Arthur responded. A guy had stepped forward, flexing his biceps and giving the girls a look before moving towards the machine to grab the hammer after handing the guy a couple tickets. His buddies were laughing, the two girls watching, the alpha girl smiling and watching. He raised the hammer up and brought it down, the metal going up to almost 700 then falling back down. The girl let out a cheer, the guys all bursting into laughter. The guy looked put out, shoving more tickets at the worker, and tried again. He only made it a bit past the 700 mark this time and walked away, looking sullen.

The girls made an awwing noise and took each other’s hands, heading towards the guy. It seemed they all knew each other. “Told you we were the same,” he heard her say to him, patting him on the back. “Yeah yeah, whatever,” he said.

Arthur turned to glance over at Alfred to tell him it was okay to keep walking but Alfred had already stepped forward, towards the game he went, pulling tickets out of his pocket. He waited behind another person in the line then handed the tickets over when it was his turn. Arthur had moved up towards the group, the girls from before had stayed behind to watch the new competition. He wondered if they’d been challenging others before.

“Hey Artie,” Alfred called over to him. “If I can hit the bell at the top, will you give me a kiss?” he asked with a grin. Arthur flushed, hearing the girls giggling next to him.

“O-on the lips?” he stuttered, watching Alfred roll his sleeves up then take the hammer and grip it in his hand tightly. “O-only a small one.” He felt embarrassed, some of the onlookers cheering a bit, getting worked up.

“Sure thing doll,” Alfred said with a wink. He took a step back then brought the hammer back with one hand. His posture when he finally swung looked as if he were taking an axe to a log, chopping it up for firewood. Arthur registered the crack of the hammer on the machine and then watched the metal piece fly right up to the top and strike the bell. The lights went off, ringing and chiming, the game going off. The people around cheered and whooped, the girls clapping for Alfred too. Arthur felt his embarrassment only rising because now it meant he had to give Alfred what he’d promised. He felt eyes on him as Alfred walked forward, tapping his lips and smiling knowingly at Arthur. Arthur hesitantly stepped forward, putting his hands on Alfred’s waist to steady himself as he quickly stood up on tiptoe and planted a small kiss on Alfred’s lips. He pulled away quickly, feeling shy as Alfred grinned down at him more. “Thanks Artie,” he murmured.

“Sir you can choose from one of these prizes,” the worker announced to Alfred but he shrugged it off. “Let them pick out something, on me,” he said, motioning to the girls. The omega girl lit up, surprised Alfred had offered, and moved forward to pick something from the bin, the alpha following behind her. “Already got my prize anyway,” he said, wrapping an arm around Arthur and kissing him again. Arthur clutched onto Alfred’s shirt, surprised and even more embarrassed as there were more sounds of laughter around them.

Alfred pulled away then led them away from the game, back down the row of stalls. “Never again,” Arthur said, and Alfred laughed beside him.

“I always hit the bell when I come here,” he said.

Arthur gasped a bit and looked at him. “You knew!? You’re a cheater.”

This just earned another laugh from Alfred. “How is that cheating?”

“You can’t make a bet with someone if you already know you’re going to win- that’s not fair.”

“It’s completely fair.”

Arthur frowned, huffing a bit. “Cheating,” he said adamantly.

“Aww Artie ain’t like it was that bad having to kiss me, right?”

Arthur didn’t look at Alfred, cheeks still heated.

“Here I’ll make it up to ya,” Alfred said, pulling Arthur to another booth. There were little guns along a counter that shot water to hit targets. Alfred pulled out tickets for Arthur and handed them over. He offered for Arthur to take a seat in front of him. Arthur did so and looked at the water gun while the game worker explained the rules.

“Alfred I have no idea how to play this,” he said.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, just try to aim as best as ya can. Don’t worry about losin, darlin,” he said. “We’re here for fun, remember?”

Arthur nodded and took position holding the gun. He tried his best to do as the worker had instructed, feeling he did better than he’d thought he would. When the game was over Arthur was surprised to find he’d won a small keychain. Alfred grinned, kissing him on the cheek. “See? Nothin’ to worry ‘bout,” he repeated.

Arthur felt a bit better after that, putting the keychain in his pocket and hoping he wouldn’t lose it. He would take it home with him as a souvenir for his family. He thought Peter might like it and he could proudly tell his brothers that he’d won it.

After passing a few more game booths they both decided it was time to try to find some food. They found a booth that had an assortment of foods, burgers, hot dogs, even sandwiches. Arthur settled on a chicken sandwich, Alfred getting a large hot dog. They split a thing of fries and a drink and found a place to sit while they ate. For fair food Arthur didn’t think it was too bad. Alfred kept talking about all the other things he’d tried at the fair before.

“How long does the fair last?” he asked, wiping his fingers on a napkin.

“This fair? Few days I think. Bigger fairs last longer of course- like the state fair.” 

Arthur nodded, taking a sip of the drink then offering it to Alfred who accepted it. “I figured since we’ve seen most of the games and the stalls we could try to ride some rides now?” It was darker now, the fair now lit up by lights everywhere. Arthur didn’t mind some of the smaller rides, it was only the large roller coasters that really scared him, but there were none here.

“That sounds fun. Maybe after that we could eat some ice cream?” he suggested, the treat sounding nice to him.

“Whatever you want, babe,” Alfred said, gathering up their trash and standing up. After throwing it away he led them over to the area that was mostly populated with rides. A lot of them were spinny rides, and both of them decided to bypass bumper cars. They settled on the swings, picking a double seated one so they could stay together. Arthur held onto Alfred’s hand, looking out over the booths and stands from up on the ride. He clutched it tightly, wind chilly on his face. Arthur had always enjoyed this type of ride. Despite it being high up, it was still smooth and calming to him. He liked being able to see the view from it as well and didn’t have to worry about being jerked around as one might have to worry about on another ride.

Alfred managed to convince Arthur to go down one of the slides, where the person rides on a potato sack down a wavy slide. He went first and laughed as he watched Alfred whip down the slide quickly after him, other children giggling around the end of it. Heading off again, the two of them headed around to make sure there was nothing else they’d missed that they really wanted to do. Eventually they settled down once more after the third time of riding the swings and got some ice cream. The coolness of the sweet made Arthur shiver.

“Here,” Alfred said, putting his jacket over Arthur’s shoulders. “You’ll need this for the next one we go on,” he said.

“Next one?” Arthur asked, but graciously accepted the jacket. He pulled it on one sleeve at a time, avoiding dropping his ice cream.

“You’ll see,” Alfred said.

He led them towards the other side of the fair when they were finished their ice cream, Arthur looking around as some of the stands had started to close down. He wondered how and what Mattie was up to, hoping her time with GIl had been fun. Alfred had been checking his phone every once in awhile to make sure she hadn’t tried to contact them. Arthur stayed near to him, feeling content and warm now that he had his jacket. His eyes passed over the large stuffed animals that hung from the game stands, looking at large plush monkeys, bananas, and other odd creatures he didn’t really recognize. He almost looked away when he found his gaze on a smaller stuffed animal, sitting on a shelf with a row of other stuffed animals, each one different and special from the others. The one in particular that had caught his eye was a white bunny with a big mint green bow on it. He found himself lingering, eyes on the bunny and wondering if it was as soft as it looked.

“What is it Artie?” Alfred asked, stopping now and looking where Arthur’s gaze was.

“Nothing,” Arthur said, turning back to Alfred. “We can keep walking now.”

Alfred paused, not moving yet. “Which one?” he asked.

“What?”

“Which one do ya want?” he said, gesturing over to where the stuffed bunnies were.

“O-Oh I don’t need any of them I just thought they were cute,” Arthur admitted. The game worker looked like he wanted to close up the game soon anyway. Instead of walking away Alfred led them over to the booth now. “Really Alfred this isn’t- I don’t need any of them…”

“I wanna win one for ya Artie. Wanted to earlier anyway but I was waitin’ for ya to say ya liked one of the prizes or something like that. Ain’t wanna give ya something cheap or ugly.”

Arthur did silently admit to himself that until now none of the prizes had really caught his eye. But the white bunny looked small enough to take back home and was rather cute, it’s floppy ears and head tilted in a cute angel. Arthur followed behind Alfred, watching him sit down. “Used up just the last of my tickets for this,” he said, letting the worker give him in the instructions although Alfred didn’t look like he needed them. He seemed to focus, taking a breath, aiming and then…

In a matter of seconds really Alfred had won the game. Arthur wondered if he often went to fairs because he seemed to have an odd mastery of games that were supposed to be rigged. At least that’s what Arthur had believed. He couldn’t help but feel impressed by the alpha, seeming to ease and overcome anything he had to do, including winning fair games.

He smiled at Arthur and welcomed him over. “Which one was it Artie?” he asked softly.

“The white one,” Arthur admitted, blushing a bit as the worker grabbed the bunny and handed it over to him. It was oh so soft and Arthur welcomed it into his arms. He felt embarrassed but incredibly happy for Alfred to have won the bunny for him. He leaned over and kissed Alfred on the cheek, thanking him shyly. He kept the bunny to his chest, Alfred wrapping an arm around him and leading him through the fair until they came upon the large and beautifully lit ferris wheel. Arthur watched the thing slowly spin around, some of the chairs rocking.

“We’re going on this one?” he asked. Alfred nodded and they got in line. The wait wasn’t long, most of the people clearing out to go home. Arthur was surprised to see Mattie and Gil further up in the line, although they didn’t notice Alfred and Arthur. The were laughing about something, both of them looking happy and Arthur felt glad they’d seemed to have a good night. His own night had been fun as well, and he was glad to have spent the time with Alfred there.

When it was their turn Alfred got on first, Arthur joining him in the seat, the bar closing over them. The thing rocked a bit as they were moved and Arthur scooted closer to Alfred. He held onto the bunny, Alfred holding onto him, and looked around as people were loaded up into the seats and they were pushed higher and higher up. He felt a nervousness at the height and decided it was best not to look down. He focused on Alfred and the way he was smiling, looking down from where they were.

“Always gotta save the best for last,” he said. “Ya okay?” he asked.

Arthur nodded a bit. “Not too fond of heights but I’ll be alright. I’ve been on ferris wheels before. My brothers always like to shake and rock the seats. I hate riding with them.”

“Well I promise I won’t do that, not intentionally at least,” Alfred said. They were closer to the top now, the ride bringing them almost to the highest point. Arthur could see the moon bright and high up in the sky. His gaze lowered from the stars, remembering the night in the truck bed where Alfred had confessed to Arthur about his leg. He wondered if it hurt today, although he hadn’t seen Alfred rubbing at it like he sometimes did. He found Alfred’s eyes on him and then Alfred’s lips against his. Keeping a hold on the bunny with one hand- Arthur didn’t want to drop the stuffed animal- and sliding the other onto Alfred’s shoulder, Arthur kissed him gently. He felt Alfred’s arm wrap around his waist and pull them closer together on the ride. They broke away in surprise when the seat jolted and the ride began to move, the two of them laughing.

They kissed again for a moment, Arthur too shy to continue as they got lower. He chose to settle against Alfred instead, enjoying his warmth and feeling a sleepiness from the day’s activities come over him. He had an ache in his feet but he didn’t mind it so much. They stayed like that as the ride gently spun them around and around.

When it came time to end and for the fair to close they headed back to the truck. Arthur didn’t want it to end so soon but at the same time was glad to be going home to his bed. Mattie met them at the truck, looking pleased, but Gil wasn’t with her anymore. The drive back was silent, Arthur leaning his head against the window, stuffed bunny in his arms. The houses and the land looked different at night, unfamiliar to him. And soon he felt himself drifting off, staring off into a starry sea.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Arthur sleepily registered being pulled out of the car, waking up as the movement of Alfred carrying him swayed him slightly. He hadn’t even woken up when they’d pulled into the driveway or even when they’d shut off the car or opened his door. He supposed the night at the fair had worn him out more than he’d thought. He opened his eyes as they crossed the grass to the front porch, a wind chime softly twinkling as they passed by. He stirred some more mumbling to Alfred that he was awake now and that the other didn’t have to keep carrying him but Alfred didn’t set him down.

Mattie got the door and Alfred slid in horizontally, tucking Arthur closer to his chest when he headed up the staircase. Arthur rubbed at his eyes, more awake now that they were home and he’d gotten that small nap in the truck. He was aware of Alfred’s shoes making soft sounds on the carpeted stairs, wondering if his parents had fallen asleep already or were awake after hearing them come home.

There was surprisingly not a lot of light in his bedroom even with the moon shining in. He could just vaguely see the outline of his bed and reached for it a bit as Alfred set him down. He steadied himself on the bed as Alfred kneeled in front of him to help take off his shoes.

“I can get them,” Arthur murmured.

“Don’t worry about it.” He had them off quickly and easily and set them over by the nightstand out of the way, probably so Arthur wouldn’t trip over them if he had to get up. Speaking of which he hadn’t gone to the bathroom before they’d left and had to go now. He got up and wavered just a bit, Alfred reaching out to hold his arm for just a moment.

“Bathroom,” he explained and left the room. He washed his face off after he was done and the chill of the water woke him up even more. He looked out the small window to the left and out across the back yard; it seemingly went on forever and ever. When Arthur came back into the bedroom Alfred was still there, pulling back the sheets and settling the pillows for him.

Instead of crawling straight into bed like he wanted to do, despite being more awake now the pillows and sheets still looked rather appealing, he reached out to grab Alfred’s arm, not letting him leave the room quite yet. It was something he’d wanted to ask and with time slipping through his fingers he felt it better now than ever, rather than waste the opportunity.

“Stay,” he murmured. He wasn’t asking anything more than Alfred’s company, but he wanted to know like what it would feel like to sleep next to Alfred, at least for one night. He knew Alfred would have to get up and leave him early in the morning to go off for work on the farm, and that he wouldn’t be able to wake up next to the alpha, but he still wanted this anyway. He looked at Alfred a bit hopefully to see a hesitant expression. Arthur wondered if he’d taken it too far now.

“Y-you don’t have to-” he started, pulling his hand away from Alfred’s arm when there was a soft knock on the door.

Arthur could tell it was Mattie who had poked her head in, something in her hands. “Forget this in the car,” she said, and Arthur recognized the stuffed bunny. He moved over to take it, now holding it in his arms and bringing it up to his face for comfort. He felt especially embarrassed to ask Alfred for something like that, even more so now it seemed the American didn’t want to. Perhaps he was a light sleeper and had trouble sleeping next to others? He didn’t seem the type and he’d fallen asleep next to him so well in their naps with one another.

“Let me change,” he said, leaning over to give Arthur a kiss on the check. “Ya get settled Artie.” He cleared his throat a bit and headed out of the room. Arthur stood by the bed, bunny in arms, wondering if Alfred was really planning on coming back or just saying that. He could be trying to get Arthur to fall asleep before he returned. Arthur decided that Alfred wouldn’t lie to him like that and would straight up tell him if he didn’t want to do something, and he was a bit too tired anyway to really think on it more clearly, so he did as Alfred asked and clambered into the bed, scooting over to the further side to make room for Alfred. He set the bunny on a nightstand by the bed, not wanting to take up too much room with it. It felt strange to wait there, listening to his own breathing and wondering if that was something that would annoy the Alpha. He didn’t even know if he snored but he hoped to god he didn’t. He didn’t want Alfred being grossed out by him or annoyed by his sleeping habits.

Did he toss and turn a lot? Steal the covers? He supposed now was a good time to discover and test these things out while they were getting used to one another. He listened to the soft shuffle of movement from the other room, then footsteps in the hallway, and then his bedroom door shutting. Arthur had his back turned but tilted his head just to feel the bed sink down, Alfred pulling the sheets up over himself. He didn’t seem to hesitate in coming closer to Arthur, pressing right up against his back. He slipped an arm over Arthur’s waist, another one under the pillow.

Arthur felt himself sinking easily back against that warmth. He’d sometimes pressed pillows up against his back but this was entirely different. He was all too aware of Alfred’s presence behind him, his earthy, rich scent, the soft huffs of his breathing as he situated himself.

“Is this all right?” Arthur murmured. “Do you have enough room?”

“It’s fine Artie. I’ve got plenty of room.” He tightened his grip on Arthur’s waist. Arthur didn’t know how he planned on sleeping now with Alfred so close. He hadn’t been prepared to be so aware of his presence in the bed, focusing on each movement and sound that he could, not able to see the other.

He wondered if it took the other a while to fall asleep or if he was the kind of person to be out as soon as their head hit the pillow. Arthur was scared to move, or shift into any new position. He was afraid he might wake Alfred or stir him from his attempt to fall asleep. He didn’t want to make sleeping together something difficult for the two of them, wanting the alpha to get a proper night’s rest and not be bothersome to him. It was just a part of him hadn’t wanted to part from the alpha so soon. They’d had such a good night together at the fair that Arthur wanted to continue with that mood and that closeness.

He didn’t want to say their goodnights and then go a separate way. He wanted to feel Alfred near him and be able to know he was still with him, even if they were both asleep. It was somehow reassuring to know he was there. He’d slept with Peter in his bed before but the boy had been a small child and this was nowhere near the same thing.

He felt Alfred shift behind him and his thoughts raced, wondering if the alpha was uncomfortable, if he didn’t want to keep spooning Arthur. Did he want to turn away from him? Change positions? Did he want his arm back that was trapped under the pillow?

Apparently the questions that went through his mind were strong enough that the emotion of them seeped into his scent.

“What’s wrong?” Alfred asked.

Arthur wanted to ask him the same thing.

“You… you didn’t have to sleep here if you didn’t want to.”

“What makes ya think I don’t wanna sleep here?”

Arthur held his breath for a minute. “You seemed… uncomfortable at the idea.”

There was a pause from Alfred before a soft chuckle. “Not uncomfortable. Never uncomfortable with ya Artie. Just the thought of sleeping next to ya makes me well… I don’t want to make ya uncomfortable…” Alfred tightened his arm around Arthur, trailing his fingers down Arthur’s stomach to the dip where his waistline was.

“Oh,” Arthur said with understanding, shoving his face against a pillow a bit as his cheeks heated, even if Alfred couldn’t see the blush in the dark. “It’s… okay to…”

“Are you sure?” Alfred’s hand slipped a bit under Arthur’s shirt, fingers moving softly against the skin.

Arthur gave him a small yes and moved back to be closer to him, surprised when Alfred pushed his leg in between his own. He groaned softly as lips pressed to the back of his neck, Alfred’s teeth grazing against the skin before he nipped at a spot at the base. Arthur keened into the feeling, heart beating quickly in his chest, hands grabbing at the sheets and the pillow. The touches became more heated, Alfred moving up the shell of his ear, his hands pulling Arthur closer to him.

The touches were soft and small at first, only slightly teasing, moving slowly. Arthur felt his anticipation spike each time his shirt was eased just a bit higher or if Alfred’s hands dipped a little lower. He groaned, breath hitching as Alfred thumbed past the waistline of his pants. It was then he and Alfred both seemed to realize stupidly that Arthur hadn’t taken off his clothes from the fair.

“We should-”

“Yes,” Arthur breathed, the two of them moving away from one another so Arthur could roll onto his back and strip his pants off, Alfred helping pull them down off his ankles and then tossing them to the floor. Alfred hovered over him to push up his shirt, kissing at Arthur’s stomach and chest. Arthur arched up into the touch seemingly at the same time Alfred was pressing down against him. He shivered as Alfred moved up to his neck, taking his time there to leave marks and leave Arthur panting and wanting. Starting from shoulder to waist line Alfred drew his hands down Arthur’s chest, teasing his nipples before raking down his stomach and thighs, squeezing and moving inward to softly palm Arthur through his boxers.

Arthur moaned and rolled his hips up forward, creating a soft rhythm between hand and body that went on for what seemed like forever, yet also too short of a time when Alfred pulled his hand away. He took his hand off of him, Arthur whining at the movement, but instead replaced it with his own hips. Arthur remembered back to the time in loft and gathered Alfred closer in his arms, pulling him nearer as they rutted against one another.

He gasped Alfred’s name, seeking out his lips and they kissed like that for slow and hot minutes until Alfred was away once more, Arthur’s hands seeking for him, wondering why he was moving away. “One second,” he heard Alfred say and watched him get off the bed and leave the room. Arthur took that moment free of Alfred’s scent to try to get a grip on himself, but he could still feeling the marks on his neck and the way his body pulsed with want so he waited impatiently for Alfred to return.

When he did he had something in his hand and Arthur was surprised. Alfred seemed to notice the change in his scent when he slowly crawled back onto the bed. “Don’t worry, Artie,” he said, leaning down to kiss his cheek and the corner of his mouth. “I won’t go all the way… It’s okay you can trust me.” Arthur let Alfred’s hands tug his boxers and then slide them off, aware now he was being undressed in front of Alfred, wondering just how much exactly he could see in the dark room.

Alfred gently guided Arthur onto his back on the bed, spreading his legs apart. Arthur wanted to cover himself and his face and hide from that gaze, overcoming the need to push his legs back together. The touch was gentle at first, Alfred squeezing the base of his cock before gently squeezing some lube onto him, wrapping his hand around and pumping Arthur. Arthur moaned, hips wiggling up into the sensation. Alfred increased the pace of his hand, slowly and steadily, his other hand gently running along the inside of his thigh, heated touches working Arthur up more and more. He knew they had to be quiet but he couldn’t stop the next moan, louder and more drawn out. He bit his lip, his whimper muffled, and jerked his hips up when Alfred’s wet and hot fingers trailed up to his chest, playing with him there. The simultaneous feelings coursed through him, Arthur feeling himself grow wet with his own slick.

“Ya look beautiful,” Alfred murmured. “That’s it baby…” He teased the tip of Arthur’s cock, his other hand now coming down under Arthur, finger pressed just lightly to his entrance. “Is this okay?” he asked in just a whisper.

Arthur nodded, gasping out a yes and spreading his legs wider as Alfred pushed a finger in. Alfred seemed to be very careful not to cause any pain, taking his time to work Arthur open slowly, repeatedly asking him if he was all right and if anything hurt. He made sure to touch Arthur’s chest, his cock, run his hand up the inside of his thigh, push his legs apart and up. Arthur felt lost to it all, just wanting more of Alfred thrusting his fingers into him, gasping at every feeling. Alfred worked him slowly and then faster, Arthur now having to bite at the sheets to muffle himself. “That’s it… look at ya darlin… So beautiful…” He cried out when Alfred resumed pumping his member, fingers thrusting at the same time. His hips quivered, the curl in his stomach and lower half making him tense. “C’mon baby…”

“A-Almost,” Arthur whimpered. “Alfred… Alfred…” He was there before he knew it, spilling over himself and coming with a long moan, Alfred’s name slipping out in the rushed breaths he struggled to take. He collapsed back in the bed, tiredness and pleasure coming over him. Alfred leaned down to kiss him, lips warm and inviting. He wrapped his arms around him until Alfred began to pull away, and let him go.

Alfred tugged his own shirt up and Arthur thought to help rid him of his clothing but he felt he would only get in the way. He watched, his gaze was interrupted by Alfred gently grabbing his hip. “Can you roll over for me Artie…?”

Arthur did so, situating nervously down into the sheets. He felt a bit of embarrassment crawl onto his cheeks at the position, especially when Alfred grabbed his hips once more and pulled them up, his bottom now the highest point on his body. He grabbed at a pillow and held it close, shivering as he waited and moaning when he finally felt hands on his skin.

“W-what are you- oh…” he gasped, Alfred suddenly pushing there between his thighs, moving his legs together. Arthur’s face felt hot. The movement started, Alfred pushing himself back and forth, the feeling slick from the lube. Arthur heard Alfred groan above him, fucking forward in between his legs. It didn’t feel bad it just felt strange. Arthur wondered how it felt for Alfred but the movement had him thinking, wondering what it would be like to actually have that length inside of him. He wanted to know how hot and full it would feel and found himself pressing his hips backwards, their bodies bumping together. He was already stretched and wound up from having Alfred’s fingers in him, body still sensitive from his orgasm. He held back a small gasp of his own. He felt his body being pulled, moved, held in place, Alfred’s hands working to keep his hips up or his thighs pressed together.

Arthur wondered how good it felt to him and shivered at the sounds Alfred was making. He was murmuring his name under his breath, and Arthur could smell Alfred’s scent growing heavier, as his voice dropped lower. Arthur twisted only slightly to look back at him, Alfred’s eyes nearly closed, lips parted as he panted, looking like he was lost in his own world of pleasure. Arthur felt himself being thrusted against faster and faster, Alfred’s moan letting him know he was close.

He breathed Alfred’s name in encouragement, hearing Alfred call out his name in a low moan, fingers digging into his hips before he suddenly stopped moving, Arthur feeling more wetness now between his legs, some of the orgasm hitting his stomach and chest and adding to his own mess. He was suddenly being pulled up from the bed, hand cupping his face and twisting his head so Alfred could meet his lips. They kissed, Alfred holding Arthur against him, breaking the kiss only to nuzzle against him and murmur sweet words into his ear.

–

When Arthur woke up he was curled around a pillow, his body refreshed. He awoke slowly, taking his time to enjoy how comfortable he felt. It was then he realized Alfred was still there with him, spooned around his body. He could hear the gentle breaths of Alfred as he slept, arm wrapped around his waist. Arthur stirred only a little bit, not wanting to disturb the other’s sleep. He felt warm and happy to lay there in the alpha’s arms, content not to move away at all. He found it far too easy to close his eyes and drift off into sleep again but Alfred’s movements woke him up once more. He looked over his shoulder at Alfred, seeing his eyes open slowly and smiled a bit in greeting, unsure of how he’d be.

He thought he would have gotten up at this point before now to go out and help his father. He was surprised Ben hadn’t come looking for him this morning, wondering if anyone had noticed Alfred had stayed with Arthur instead of in his own bedroom. He wondered then with a bit of embarrassment if Mattie had heard any of their activities last night. He hadn’t exactly been paying attention to how loud he was or how loud they were and didn’t really want to know if they’d been heard. Although they would be carrying each other scents even more now since doing stuff like that.

“Mornin,” Alfred said, voice a little hoarse from having just woken up. A beautiful smile graced Alfred’s lips as a bit of sunlight lit up his face. Arthur turned more now to face him completely, taking in the image. He could see Alfred look along his own face, clearing his throat as he did. Alfred’s hand reached up to cup Arthur’s cheek, brushing his thumb under his eye. “You’re gorgeous,” he mumbled. “I love these,” Alfred said, reaching now to brush his fingers over the freckles on Arthur’s shoulders. “Sunlight on em makin’ em so pretty.”

Arthur didn’t know how to respond other than to push his face against the pillow. Alfred leaned forward and gently pressed kisses to each one he found.

“You’re not helping your father?” Arthur asked, hoping to get them off the subject now.

“Nah I slipped out earlier and let him know I wouldn’t be around just this mornin’. Told me it was okay.”

“I didn’t even hear you get out of bed,” Arthur admitted. He had slept soundly through the night until now. He yawned, now reaching to grab Alfred’s hand and take it in his own.

“Did you have fun last night?” Alfred asked.

Arthur’s skin pinkened. He knew Alfred was referring the trip to the fair, which had been wonderful, but he couldn’t help but recall the more prominent memories in his mind. He saw a knowing look coming over Alfred’s face and then a grin.

“The fair was lovely,” Arthur said quickly. “I had a really fun time… Thank you for taking me.”

Alfred leaned forward and kissed him, then slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him forward. “You’re welcome Artie. Didn’t want ya to be trapped on the farm your whole trip. What do ya say we head into town today? See if there are any movies playing or any restaurants ya wanna try to eat at. Anythin’ ya want.”

Arthur nodded. “I want to spend as much time with you as I can before I leave Alfred.”

“I want that too,” Alfred replied, bringing Arthur’s hand up to his lips to kiss the back of it. “More than you know.”


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Angst. Language. Slurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple more chapters to go wow

The morning had passed by lazily, Alfred getting them up for breakfast and then announcing they were going into town. Mattie wasn’t around but Jas was, sitting on the couch with a book in her hands. She smiled as they left, telling them to be careful in their drive. The town wasn’t quite what Arthur expected. Although it was the most populated area he’d been in since the fair and since he’d arrived. It had restaurants and stores and other various little shops and practices. Yet it wasn’t a grand city either- certainly not a grand city like New York City or Los Angeles. He glanced at the people walking by on the sidewalks as Alfred’s giant truck chugged down the street, Alfred looking for a place to park among the crowded vehicles. He slowly pulled them into place outside a sort of family looking diner. Alfred had suggested that maybe later after walking around they could get lunch. Arthur was still full from breakfast so he was content to wait a while, nodding at Alfred.

“I don’t really have any plans for us,” Alfred said, putting his hands on his hips and glancing around. He grinned over at Arthur. “Just thought the two of us could walk ‘round and do a bit of window shopping.”

“I don’t mind. This will be a good chance for me to get some souvenirs for my family,” Arthur said, not very hopeful he was going to find anything too great but there had to be something to bring back for his family. He already had a keychain for Peter but he figured his other brothers wouldn’t really enjoy a gift like that. Certainly not his mother or father. He was always a bit lost on what to get his father. Usually his mother was a bit easier to shop for, Arthur bringing her different kinds of teas or pretty watercolor cards. His father was more difficult however. Although Arthur knew his hobbies and what he liked he just always found himself getting stuck, not wanting to get something too lame.

“Sure thing. Don’t know how many souvenir-like places we got here. Probably not much. This place doesn’t get a lot of tourists but we have all day to look around.”

Arthur nodded. “That’s all right…”

“Guess I should have brought you to other towns sooner that way we would have more time to go to somewhere else in case you weren’t able to find anything.”

They only had a few days left with one another. Arthur was always taken aback by just how little time they had left. He hadn’t realized it would have come so soon, even though in the beginning he felt like it would have lasted forever. He was sorely mistaken. He decided to move closer to Alfred and make the most of the time, taking his hand. It was a habit he’d gotten used to and Alfred never turned him away. He was going to miss being able to do something like this in England.

“Were there any movies ya wanted to see?” Alfred asked, pointing out a theatre across the street. “That’s kind of a treat for our family to get to go out to the theater when movies come out we wanna see as a family. Do ya go to the movies with your family?”

“Sometimes. Mostly with Peter. Because of those new superhero movies that have been releasing he drags those of us around to the theatre with him.”

“That’s what Mattie and I like as well. Pa’s kinda been into them but Ma ain’t really one for action movies. Ya like them?”

Arthur shrugged a bit. He didn’t have any negative feelings towards the movies but wasn’t a complete fan. He’d never read any of the comics most of the movies had been based off of and didn’t have the interest to read up on them further. He did enjoy though spending time with his brothers who always got into heated arguments about who their favorite superhero was. For Peter it was always the Hulk. Arthur wondered if Alfred had a favorite. He seemed like he would enjoy the superhero movies but Arthur couldn’t be too sure.

“They’re entertaining and usually well done. Do you have a favorite?”

“Captain America for sure,” Alfred responded quickly. “Spiderman’s a close second.”

“Really?” Arthur asked although he wasn’t surprised. Captain America made sense to him for Alfred to be a fan of. Alfred almost had a similar look to him; he couldn’t help but think to himself. Blonde hair, blue eyes, well built… Arthur flushed a bit and looked away.

“Mattie’s always been a big fan of Thor. She likes the actor a lot and I guess I can kinda agree. He seems to be good natured ya know?”

“He does indeed.”

“Do you have a favorite?” Alfred asked, the two of them coming to a stop as the cross walk signal turned to the red hand.

Arthur scrunched his brow, trying to remember if he did have a favorite superhero or not. He had enjoyed most of the movies pretty equally, but didn’t want to upset Alfred by not giving an answer. “I think Captain America probably, as well.”

“He’s the best,” Alfred said cheerfully, smiling more now. “I used to read some of the comics as a kid and play ‘round pretendin’ I was him. I suppose lotsa young boys do that.” He looked a bit shy, but Arthur was too embarrassed to admit out loud that Alfred would make a good Captain America. He had that kindness and charm and certainly physically wise could fit the part. “Ya wanna be my Peggy?” Alfred asked.

“Doesn’t Captain America end up frozen in the bottom of some large body of water?” Arthur asked.

“We’ll just pretend that never happened. Cap returned home all safe and they got together and went dancin’. What do ya say?’

“Well I’m sorry to disappoint but I don’t know how to dance.”

“Ya think a farm boy like me knows either?”

“Wouldn’t being a farm boy make you more like Superman?” Arthur asked.

“Lois Lane works just as nicely for ya,” Alfred continued with a grin.

“I would be a horrid reporter.”

Alfred was suddenly tugging his glasses off. “Do ya still recognize me?”

Arthur pretended to step away a bit, feigning shock. “And who might you be?”

Alfred laughed, a deep chuckle coming from him. He put back on his glasses, readjusting them on his face. “Just a nobody with a mighty big crush on you.”

“I’m sorry I’m only in love with aliens,” Arthur teased then realized a bit what he’d said. He reddened and looked away, wishing he could pull his hand away.

He felt Alfred shift, saw him out of the corner of his eye leaning down to kiss him and they stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, right in the way, to kiss each other, and reaffirm one another of their warmth and presence. Arthur would have never considered himself to be one for such public displays of affection but with Alfred it was hard to keep himself away from the alpha.

“This alien’s only in love with certain reporters,” Alfred murmured.

“What a shame then,” Arthur responded, the two of them breaking apart and after an awkward moment, continued down the sidewalk.

They took their time window shopping, conversation jumping from anything they could think of to anything they could see, pointing out clothing and trinkets and posters from window sills. When a particular shop looked interesting enough to enter Alfred would tell Arthur odd little stories about purchases he’d made there before, or trips he’d taken, or times Mattie had gone. It seemed he had a story for every place, or at least something to say. Arthur wondered just how many times he’d been in this town, especially if he’d lived on the farm in once place his entire life. Arthur didn’t have much to add or say, eyes really only interested in finding gifts. He didn’t want anything for himself for now, thinking that even if he returned back to England without a souvenir he wouldn’t be too disappointed. He hadn’t come here as a tourist after all.

“Ya gonna miss the old boring Jones farm?” Alfred asked as they walked out of an incense store. Arthur wondered vaguely if Alfred was that good at reading his scent or just if he could read minds. He always seemed to be spot on with his questions, taking Arthur off guard most of the time. He supposed that was something new to get used to with time.

“Yes I will. And it wasn’t boring. It was far from boring- I’ve enjoyed every day I’ve been here.” Arthur looked down at the small bag in his hand. “I’m going to miss the horses and the kittens, the big comfy guest bed, your family…”

“And me…”

“And you.”

“I’m gonna miss ya lots too Artie. We’ll have that in common ya know. And hey before this we were pros at the whole online thing ain’t no way anythin’ gonna change,” he said, the promise in his voice. “We’ll be back together before ya know it.”

Arthur wanted to agree but he couldn’t help but think and believe that the days apart would pass slowly and agonizingly before he could be reunited with Alfred. Why did they have to live so far apart?

Alfred led them down another block and then took them right, down past a little drug store. Arthur could see the shops thinning out in this area, the end of the street turning into little quaint houses tucked together, small lawns, and old fences. There were children playing on the opposite side of the street, drawing with chalk on the pavement and giggling, yelling to one another about their creations. Arthur didn’t see the two at first, his attention on the children instead. Alfred was in the middle of asking Arthur if he was hungry yet or if he wanted to circle back and see if there was anything he wanted to view at the movie theatre when Arthur heard it. It was faint but loud enough for Arthur to know he wasn’t imagining it. And the sneering look on their faces, the way they eyed Alfred as they said it, was all Arthur needed.

The word fell on Alfred and his question faltered, voice pausing for a moment. There were two of them, an alpha and a beta. The alpha was at the front, and closest to them. “Crippled,” he said it, tone in his voice to suggest he was mocking, teasing, trying to intend harm.

“Arthur c’mon,” Alfred said quickly, tugging Arthur onwards even after he’d tried to stop, looking back now in shock at the alpha. Alfred still had a tight grip on him, pulling him along, now a bit harsher although Arthur didn’t really pay attention to it or think Alfred knew what he was doing. “No don’t-”

Arthur forcibly yanked his hand free, something he’d never down to Alfred before but the blood was boiling and he couldn’t stop himself. “Say that again?” he repeated, coming up towards the guy.

“He’s a fucking crippled I’ll say it again.”

“How dare you s-”

“Arthur you don’t need to do this,” Alfred said, moving now to Arthur’s’ side. Arthur could see Alfred looking away from the alpha, not meeting his gaze. He was confused. Why wasn’t Alfred confronting him? Telling him to back off or leave him alone? Alfred could easily take on this guy if it led to a fight. How could he just let them call him something like that and not want to defend himself?

“Alfred he just…he…”

“I know what he said I heard but Arthur I don’t want this-”

“Did you finally get yourself an omega? Wonder what kind of defect he’s got,” the alpha sneered. Alfred snarled, wrapping an arm around Arthur’s waist and pulling him back against him.

“You leave him out of this,” he growled, the fury there that should have been present before when the alpha had insulted Alfred. He had a protective and solid grip on Arthur but Arthur was trying to wiggle free.

“Can’t believe some defective piece of shit like you-”

“You shut your fucking mouth this instant!” Arthur said, hearing Alfred repeating no over and over, trying to calm and shush him. It was impossible to get out of Alfred’s grip, the alpha much stronger and persistent in leading them away. Arthur couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Someone so outwardly insulting Alfred for having a prosthetic leg? “You’re disgusting!” His voice was raising, Arthur felt himself slipping. This was what he’d worked on but now what was the point? They were drawing a crowd, some onlookers stopping, even across the street. Arthur paid no attention to them. He tried to pry Alfred’s hands off of him.

“You should be ashamed of yourself you-” Arthur started.

“Arthur!” Alfred snapped. “Stop. Now.” His voice was low and commanding. Arthur fought against that alpha tone, his omega side wanting to appeal to the alpha by following and listening to what he said. But he’d lived with enough alpha brothers to fight that instinct off.

“How’s it feel knowing you killed someone and got away with just a mangled fucked up leg? Bet your leg fucked up your head farm boy. Killed a few brain cells so now all you’re good for is mucking up cow shit.”  
Arthur threw one of his shopping bags at the alpha, watching it smack him in the face. He was reaching for his wallet next but Alfred’s hand was stopping him. Arthur twisted lose, the alpha shocked at just having something thrown at him, and didn’t hold back. He punched the alpha as hard as he could across the jaw. The punch left a burning and sensation in his fist, his knuckles aching.

“Fucking-”

“Arthur!” Alfred sounded concerned and angered.

“What the fuck? You crazy shithead omega-”

Alfred came forwards but Arthur was already swinging again, this time less coordinated and less effective, only whacking into the alpha’s chest and not really doing any damage to him. He reached out for Arthur and grabbed at his arm. “Apologize to him!” Arthur demanded, kicking him in the shin, trying to free himself. He didn’t have to do much because Alfred was already there, yanking them both apart. He had a strong grip on Arthur as he forcibly shoved the alpha away. The beta stayed back, no longer saying anything, just watching on in surprised silence. Others were still gathered around them but no one had bothered to step in to stop things. No one but Arthur. “I told ya to leave him out of this!” Alfred yelled at him then looked at Arthur, still as furious. “And I told ya to stay out of this. I told you no. Why didn’t ya listen to me?”

Arthur was shocked. Why was Alfred getting mad at him? “I was defending you! Why didn’t you defend yourself? He was saying such horrible things-”

“Ya think this is the first time something like this has happened? It’s not worth it Arthur-”

“Not worth it?” Arthur pushed Alfred away from him, backing up. “You think I want to hear him talk about you like that?”

“If ya had just kept walking like I told ya in the first place we wouldn’t have had to hear anythin’ more.”

“So now this is my fault?” Arthur asked, pissed. He hadn’t felt such anger towards Alfred before but it was out in the open, hot and overwhelming. Arthur felt too worked up, like he couldn’t breathe and was falling down and down without any way to stop. “Please inform me as to how standing up for you is suddenly such a crime-”

“Because I told ya no! I told ya I didn’t fuckin’ want this Arthur. I don’t wanna give him the satisfaction or any other person the satisfaction that any words they say have any fuckin’ affect on me because they don’t. But ya drawing attention to us and to it I hate that. And to fight him what were ya thinkin’?”

Arthur was pretty sure he’d sprained his wrist or something because it hurt like a bitch. He felt tears of anger and confusion burn in the corner of his eyes. He’d fucked it all up. He’d cracked. He’d-

“I was thinking of you! And if you’re too blinded to see that then forget I did any of this at all. Is it because I’m an omega- is your pride that wounded?”

“This is not about my pride Arthur, but it’s exactly because you’re an omega-”

“How dare you-”

“You can’t fight for me! I will not allow it!” Alfred stepped forward, grabbing Arthur’s shoulders. Arthur tensed up, not knowing what he was going to do but shocked to see such fury there.

Arthur felt defeated, unable to really understand what he’d just heard. He thought… He thought Alfred had been different than other alphas. He thought Alfred though higher of him, even though he was an omega. And here Alfred was talking down to him? Telling him how incapable he was, how upset and disappointed he was for Arthur losing his temper. But Alfred was already pulling him away down the street, back in the direction of their truck.

“Don’t touch me,” he said, fighting against Alfred. “Let go- I said stop!”

Alfred released him instantly, looking as if he’d been burned.

“I don’t want to be near you Alfred,” Arthur said, voice cold, then turned and left. He was unsure where he could even go. Not like he could just get into a car and drive back to England. He didn’t even know if Alfred had bothered to follow him. He wasn’t trying to call after him at least, but Arthur couldn’t bring himself to turn around and check. He sobbed as he pushed open a door to a shop they’d visited earlier, heading straight into the back and into the bathroom. He locked himself in and couldn’t make it to the paper towels before he’d started crying.

When he’d calmed down enough, after a long time of tears (fortunately no one had needed to use the restroom), he decided to check his phone. He didn’t think Alfred would have taken off and left him stranded there. But at the same time the “No Missed Calls” wasn’t reassuring. He dialed Mattie’s number, giving her the smallest details he could muster. He had to wait on the sidewalk for her, ignoring the looks. He didn’t see Alfred anywhere but he’d noticed the truck wasn’t in the parking spot anymore.

When Mattie got there she pulled up in a small car, one Arthur had seen around on the farm but had never ridden in before. She looked worried and upset. “Where’s Al?”

Arthur sniffed, cradling his hand to his chest and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said, voice weak and small. He opened the door and got in.

“What happened?” Mattie asked. He knew she wanted to press him for more, probably demand to know everything at once, but Arthur found it hard to talk. He didn’t want to be around anyone right now. The thought of crawling under a blanket and never coming out was too tempting. Arthur wanted his nest, where he would feel safe and comforted. He couldn’t go to Alfred for that now- the person he couldn’t bear to think about. He’d hurt Alfred, done something awful. He’d let his anger go and now had messed up everything between them. “I’m calling Alfred and telling him I’m taking you home,” Mattie said with a bit of a sigh when Arthur didn’t answer, and Arthur nodded.

He leaned against the window, staring blankly outside. What had happened? Everything had changed so quickly. He’d acted rashly without thinking, had gone after the alpha, his only thought in mind of Alfred. How could an alpha be so cruel as to treat someone so wonderful as Alfred like that? Arthur felt torn and confused. It was right to show that alpha he was wrong, but Alfred hadn’t wanted to, stepping in only to drag Arthur out of it. Arthur didn’t feel he’d had any other choice. He couldn’t have just walked away after that.

After Mattie was done the call she sighed and pulled back onto the street. When they got home Arthur found his way his bedroom, Jas looked worriedly between him and Mattie when she’d sensed the mood. She didn’t stop Arthur though, or try to question him, just let him trudge upstairs. He didn’t bother changing, just shut the door and buried himself into the bed. His wrist still hurt but he didn’t want to get back up to do anything about it. He would try to wrap it up with something later.

He wasn’t even sure when or if Alfred had even returned. He woke up when it was dark outside, the house eerily quiet. If Alfred was home he hadn’t bothered to come talk to Arthur. It was probably for the best. Arthur pressed his face to the pillows, willing away his tears. They only had a few days left and now Arthur wasn’t even sure that they were going to talk again other than to say goodbye. He would return to England truly alone.

The thought made a small sob press pass his lips and he looked at the stuffed bunny next to him, not even the plush helping to comfort him. It didn’t help that the bed still smelled like Alfred. And it didn’t help that Arthur still smelled like him too. The previous night’s activities seemed so far away now, so helpless to change anything. They felt less thrilling now, more dulled and a numbness settled on Arthur’s skin. He found himself drifting off once more, the only thought on his mind of plane tickets. Was there a chance to change the departure date? To leave sooner? Was there any way for Arthur to slip out into a taxi, to pack his bags and leave any earlier? He didn’t think he would be welcomed in their house anymore, not after what had happened. Arthur didn’t think he could bear to see the look of disapproval on Alfred’s parent’s faces. Jas’s would hurt the most, surely the most disappointed in Arthur as a failure of an omega. How dare Arthur come and do this to her son? The alpha had been right all along. Arthur was a crazy shithead omega. He was defective.

Morning didn’t come any easier. Arthur didn’t even know what time it was because of how dim the world still was outside. The clock told him it was 5am- the earliest time Arthur had woken at since arriving. He felt and probably looked like shit, having slept the whole night still in the clothes he’d worn out with… There was a beat. A pause. A bird sang from outside the window.

Arthur didn’t know why but he felt like he couldn’t leave him room, couldn’t be seen by Alfred’s family. What had Alfred told them so far? No one had bothered to come check on him. He could only imagine it was because they were too angry with him to bother. Probably all wondering how to deal with him. He was going to look at hotels in the area as soon as he got out his laptop. But first he needed to use the bathroom. He stepped out into the quiet hallway. Mattie’s door was shut. She was probably still asleep inside. Alfred’s was open, his bedroom vacant. Arthur wondered if he would avoid Arthur now by going out to do work on the farm. Stay away from the house. Arthur felt like he’d torn something between himself and Alfred’s family. Doing what he’d done had turned them all from him. The thought made him choke up a little bit.

In the bathroom the sun was coming over the hill. Arthur’s stomach rumbled and he told himself to ignore it but it wasn’t like he could just starve himself. It was strange- feeling so sad, and yet his body was still trying to remind him to do things like eat and pee and get out of bed. He felt too frustrated to sleep, but too tired and worn to stay awake. He was caught, unsure of what to do or where to go. He decided first to tend to his wrist, finding some gauze in the cabinet and wrapping it up. It throbbed still but he didn’t have any ice to put on it. He let his feet take him down the stairs, afraid to see Ben or Jas, but the house was empty and quiet, with only the creaks of his feet and the walls settling around him.

He padded into the kitchen and looked for something quick like fruit to grab and take back with him. Grapefruit in hand, napkins bunched in the other, he was about to make his way back up when he heard the voices, soft and muted. He followed them back to the living room and saw the back door was open. From this point he could see Alfred and his father sitting on the back porch, Arthur’s mother on the other side of Alfred.

Alfred was hunched over, head in his hands, Jas’s fingers carding softly through his hair. Arthur told himself to turn around and leave, run back upstairs, don’t spy on them.

His feet were rooted to the ground.

“I don’t know what to do…” he heard Alfred said, Jas and Ben both listening attentively to their son. “I wanted to so bad…”

“We know you did,” Ben said.

“There’s no telling you won’t be able to,” Jas added softly.

Arthur felt he was listening to something too personal, knowing Alfred was talking to them about him. He had to stay though. Had to know if there really was no chance now…

“If I’d said something… if I had shown I was bothered… then Arthur would have…he would have known that… that I’m not that strong…” Alfred said, voice quiet. “It hurts Ma…” Arthur watched him, shoulders slumped, lean sideways into Jas’s open arms. He was bigger than her but looked so small, curled to her side. A child seeking a mother’s warmth.

Ben reached over to rest a hand on Alfred’s shoulder, both of them comforting their son. Arthur wished he had his own mother there. He could cry into her shoulder. She would hold him and then everything wouldn’t be better but at least it wouldn’t hurt as much.

“Things didn’t go how you wanted them to sweetie,” Jas finally said. “It doesn’t mean it’s all over.”

Alfred didn’t respond so Ben spoke instead. “When he’s awake your Ma and I think you two should talk. We’ll leave ya alone for space but… It’s probably best to talk about what’s happened and what you’re going to do.”

Alfred started un-hunching his shoulders, sitting up more. Arthur couldn’t tell if he’d been crying or not. He could see small smile there on the corner of his lips, Alfred thanking his parents, the two of them still keeping close to his side. Arthur longed to go over there and join them. To also wrap his arms around Alfred and have Alfred do the same. He didn’t want this to be over. He didn’t know what Alfred would decide but if he wanted Arthur to leave then there was nothing else for Arthur to do. He could kick and scream and cry and it wouldn’t mean Alfred would take him back.

He thought they were done so he started to leave when Alfred spoke up again. Arthur felt a tightness in his throat, stopping, not ready for what Alfred had to say.

“It’s embarrassin’ but… I didn’t think stuff like this was really real ya know?” Alfred looked down at his hands. “Looks fake when ya see it in movies and read it in books. I always thought what ya and Pa had was special Ma, but… I wanna be more. I wanna do more. And I can’t do that without him. Geez it’s cheesy I know but I just want him to know how I feel like he’s… he’s the stars in my sky Pa. I know Artie’s the only one…”

Alfred turned now to his mother, Arthur able to see his face more clearly. He met her gaze with a sort of proud, warm, loving, and heartbreaking expression. “Momma I wanna marry him.”


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene that had happened in chapter sixteen I had actually already planned and imagined that scene before I'd even started writing this story. it was one of those scenes like... i felt like i needed to write in this story. it was part of the drive to the story anyway
> 
> After this just one more chapter... in the home stretch. ahah get it?

The grapefruit dropped and rolled. Confusion swirled about Arthur’s head, thoughts racing. Alfred wanted to marry him? Even after the incident from the day before? Weren’t Arthur’s actions, the fight, everything that had gone wrong, an indicator to Alfred that Arthur wasn’t a good omega for him? Why would Alfred want to marry someone who had hurt him less than 24 hours ago? It was too late to run, Arthur knew this, but he sometimes didn’t think things through all the way. He’d already been caught snooping as soon as the grapefruit had hit the floor, its thud indicating his presence. Every one was turned to him now, looking shocked to see him there. They didn’t say anything, they didn’t have to. They knew Arthur had heard, at least the end bit, and that’s all that had really mattered.

He locked eyes with Alfred only for a moment before he turned and ran. It was stupid really, his body fleeing from what? He didn’t know. Alfred wanted to marry him? Him? Arthur’s mind screamed yes and no at him all at once. He wanted to throw himself into Alfred’s arms and be forgiven but he was still too unforgiving of himself. The screen door from the living room opened quickly, smashing closed with the sound of heavy footsteps following behind. Arthur was headed down the hallway and to the front door, not knowing where he was even planning on going. Even if he ran outside Alfred was going to catch up to him. He should have gone upstairs and barricaded himself in his bedroom- at least then he could lock Alfred out.

Alfred couldn’t want to marry him. Had he just misheard him? It wouldn’t make sense why he was being chased after now, unless he wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. Arthur wrenched the door open and shoved at the screen, stumbling out on the porch.

“Arthur!” He heard Alfred call out behind him, and he ran as fast as he could down the steps and into the grass of the front yard. At this rate he was going to run out into the road and knowing his luck would probably get plowed over by a car in no time at all. Thinking that would be a bad idea and not wanting Alfred to follow him out into the street, Arthur ran to the truck. He’d never attempted it but somehow adrenaline helped him heave open the door and fling himself up and into the truck. He scrambled into the seat and looked quickly for the locks, smacking them at the last second as Alfred smacked against the driver’s door where Arthur sat. He jumped a bit, Alfred’s eyes looking up at him through the tinted window. He felt his heart beating quickly in his chest, not realizing he was still holding a napkin clutched tightly and wrinkled in his palm.

They were both wide eyed, staring at one another through the window, both not saying anything. Alfred looked defeated, Arthur felt confused. Why was he running away? What was he afraid of? Arthur had to look away from the blue eyes, so clearly looking hurt and questioning of Arthur.

Alfred seemed to realize then how close he was to the window and backed away, taking a step back, trying to fix his shirt that had gotten messed up after running after Arthur. “Artie… I… I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare ya like that…” He shifted a bit more and Arthur set down the napkin, eyes transfixed on the dashboard of the truck in front of him. He was still breathing a bit heavily from running, now wanting to bite back tears.

“Why are you sorry?” he demanded, frustration and anger in his voice. He was making things worse, but he couldn’t stop himself. He should be the one apologizing, the one asking if Alfred would ever forgive him. Or if they could still be friends even after going back to England or- “You’re not the one who punched an alpha in the face yesterday or the one who got into a fight even though you asked me not to and I didn’t understand Alfred but I-”

“Artie- Artie it’s okay,” Alfred said, reaching out for the car. It seemed like he wanted to touch Arthur but there was a thick metal door in between them. Arthur felt the barrier between them was suiting. It was how things should be- Arthur keeping himself away from Alfred. He didn’t deserve someone like him anyway. “Ya were just tryin’ to defend me-”

“I hurt you,” Arthur said bitterly, tears stinging his eyes.

“And I hurt ya too,” Alfred said adamantly.

“That’s not the same it was my own fault-”

“Running off like ya did wasn’t something you caused on your own Artie. I had a part in it too. I’m not proud it ended like that and I should have talked to ya last night I-”

“You made yourself clear,” Arthur said, hating the tear that let loose. “I went off on my own accord knowing if I stayed there I would just make things worse-”

“Artie-”

“I’m not a good omega for you Alfred,” Arthur said, voice weak and strained as the sob caught in his throat. His voice sounded too loud in the empty truck.

“Wait-”

“Now you know how I am how I- this will happen again.” He reached for the crumpled napkin and used it to dab at his eyes. “I don’t want you to h-hate me and-”

“Artie would ya just listen to me?” Alfred said, now frowning at Arthur. He was frustrated with Arthur- that was clear as day. They were both at wit’s end with the situation. “Open the door…” he said, voice softer this time. He reached for the handle and tugged it. “Please Artie… I ain’t wanna keep talkin’ to ya like this. Ain’t the way our first fight supposed to go… I don’t like looking at ya up there cryin’ alone.” He offered a smile and Arthur felt another sob come past his lips. He knew that if he opened the door there was no shutting it again. “Here,” Alfred said, now moving around to the other side of the truck. “Let me in the passenger side. I’ll just sit next to ya. We don’t gotta leave the truck yet if ya don’t want to.”

Arthur hesitated, thinking it over more. At least then he wouldn’t have to go back into the house quite yet or face Alfred’s family. He also didn’t want them to hear him and Alfred, knowing it would probably just make their impression of him worse.

The click of the locks coming undone was followed by Alfred gently pulling open the door and climbing into the truck. He shut it behind him the car shifting and rocking some with the movements. It wasn’t too hot in the truck yet because it was still very early in the morning, the sun just barely illuminating the sky, although the light seemed to grow quickly with each passing minute.

Arthur felt a hand take his own and he followed the length of Alfred’s arm up to his blue-eyed gaze. With his free hand Alfred wiped a tear off Artie’s cheek, brushing his thumb there gently.

“I don’t like hearin’ ya talk so negatively ‘bout yourself Artie, ya know that.”

“It’s the truth though… I’ve just been hiding it from you.”

“Hiding what?” Alfred asked, confused.

“I get angry too easily… I’m too aggressive for an omega. I went against you despite you telling me not to and-”

“And nothin,” Alfred shushed him, making Arthur look at him once more even though Arthur had tried to turn his head away. “I overreacted too Artie. I’ve been used to them- to that kind of behaviour for a while now. I know nothin good comes out of provoking it, especially for me. Makes me all angry and cross inside and I don’t like that feeling. I much prefer how I feel when I’m with ya. ‘Sides I like to think they’re wrong. What could they know ‘bout what happened or how I feel or what it’s like to lose a leg?”

Arthur couldn’t know how it felt either, but he certainly wouldn’t ever think to attack or make fun of someone because of it.

“And really I just… I didn’t want ya to think less of me,” Alfred admitted. “I didn’t want ya to hear what those guys said and know that’s how I get treated ‘round here. I didn’t want ya to doubt me as an alpha…”

Arthur couldn’t imagine a world where he thought less of Alfred because others were cruel to him. It seemed though that Alfred had his doubts just the same as Arthur had his own. “I wouldn’t- I don’t. Not ever,” he said. “I just couldn’t understand how they… how people could be so incredibly cruel and… and not to someone like you.” Arthur took a breath. He needed to say it. Alfred had been so open with him it was only fair that he be the same in return. If they were going to make up properly and get through this they needed to cooperate and be there for one another. They couldn’t do that if Arthur was still keeping secrets.

“Alfred I’m… I get angry… Too much sometimes. I grew up with only alpha brothers basically and learned a lot of things from them. I turned to online dating because I was too aggressive and awkward for alphas who knew me and the reputation I had when I was younger. This wasn’t the first time I’ve gotten into fight with alphas…” Arthur felt his face burn with shame. “I tried so hard to not let any of that slip, to not let my anger get the best of me and have you realize what a mess of an omega I am. Well… was. When I’m around you I just…the anger seems to fade. It’s there but just… When I heard them and what they said to you I couldn’t keep it in any longer. And when you doubted me…”

“Doubted you? Arthur that ain’t- I… I don’t doubt ya Artie cause you’re an omega. It’s cause you’re my omega that I want to keep ya safe. Most alphas won’t hurt an omega but ya goin’ at them like that is different than they expect. I was so worried ya were gonna get hurt…”

Arthur swallowed. He hadn’t thought of that, at least, not of protecting himself. He had only been thinking of Alfred, he was always thinking of him. “I don’t… want to lose you,” he said softly, the tears coming again.He had to bury his face into his hands, feeling a twist in his stomach as he curled himself up more. “I don’t want to be the reason you leave me.” His voice was weak, betraying him with all the emotion he was feeling. “I’ve been s-so terrified since I came here that I was going to do something wrong and you-you would… you would hate me for it and th-then what I didn’t want to happen happened yesterday-”

Arthur felt hands on his own, gently tugging them from his face. He turned to look at Alfred as he was suddenly pulled into his arms, a warm and strong embrace that Arthur had missed too much. He gave up, burying his face into that earthy scent and began to sob against Alfred’s shoulder. “There there.” He heard Alfred murmur the words as a hand gently soothed down his back. “Shhh Artie baby…” Alfred pulled him closer, the angle awkward for them but Arthur didn’t care. He let himself cry into Alfred’s shoulder, completely relishing in the fact that he was allowed this and that Alfred wasn’t pushing him away.

Yesterday he’d made a mistake and caused a misunderstanding and a distance between them. It wasn’t something he ever wanted to repeat. He held onto Alfred more tightly, not wanting to let him go. He only had a little while longer to be with him like this, he kept telling himself. He couldn’t imagine how it would have been if Alfred were to have hated him. How the rest of the visit would have gone if it had been so cold. He cried a bit more until he found himself running out, Alfred still calming him, his scent washing over Arthur’s own and seeming to chase away the sad bits.

“I ain’t gonna do something like that Artie,” Alfred said, voice strained. Was he crying too? “I don’t ever want to leave you. There ain’t much ya could ever do to make me leave, and certainly not over somethin’ like yesterday. Ya gotta trust me Artie…” Arthur tried to nod into Alfred’s shoulder, sniffing and trembling slightly. “I love ya,” Alfred said, the words hoarse and low but Arthur heard them all the same. He felt he would cry again all together with how strongly Alfred was holding him to his chest and with how much the words affected him.

“I love you too Alfred,” he said, his voice finally not shaking anymore. “I love you more than I can even think about…”

“I know Artie. I feel the same way ‘bout ya.”

They held onto one another, Alfred kissing into Arthur’s hair, to his ear, anywhere he could reach. Arthur held him back just as tightly until Alfred finally eased his grip. Arthur pulled away, knowing his eyes must have looked puffy and red. He wished he had something to wipe his face off with, the crumpled napkin not really helpful anymore.

“I meant it, ya know,” Alfred said softly, cupping Arthur’s cheek, his other pressed to the side of Arthur’s seat as he held himself up when he leaned over to kiss Arthur gently. Arthur was surprised at the sweetness of the kiss. “I do wanna marry ya,” he said as he pulled away. “I uh… don’t got the ring with me but… will ya Artie? Will ya marry me?”

“Of course I’m going to say yes,” Arthur said, tears welling up again, but a weight now lifted from his chest.

A look of joy crossed Alfred’s face and he reached over to pull Arthur into a big hug, arms wrapped securely around him. Arthur buried his face into Alfred’s chest, feeling the other’s heartbeat thrum from underneath his shirt. “Become my mate Artie,” Alfred murmured, nosing into his hair and nuzzling against him.

“Yes,” Arthur managed to say, biting his lip as Alfred pressed his nose right against his neck, teeth nipping there now.

“Don’t leave me for another alpha,” he said, voice lowered. He bit there softly and Arthur bunched up the fabric of Alfred’s shirt in his fists as he clenched them. “Live with me…”

Arthur had to stop Alfred there, suddenly sitting up again pushing against Alfred who reluctantly let him go, displeased that Arthur had rejected him. “Live- where?” Arthur asked, suddenly confused and also realizing that he had no idea what his and Alfred’s future arrangements were going to be like.

“Fuck I did this all wrong,” Alfred suddenly said, not answering Arthur’s question. “I should have proposed to ya all properly with a ring and some fancy food or-”

Arthur laughed softly. “Alfred we haven’t done this relationship properly since the beginning.”

“Yeah but it wasn’t how I always wanted to picture it,” Alfred sighed, reaching for Arthur again and tugging him back against him. “Anyway like I was gonna say I’m not chained to the farm Artie. Yeah it’s been in the family for a while now but Pa ain’t goin’ anywhere quite yet. Mattie gonna graduate soon and with her movin’ out he and Ma can hire some help for the farm. I know farmin’s all ya must think I can do but I actually got other goals in life. Thinkin’ I wanna move somewhere else for once and work on goin’ to graduate school. I want ya to be there for it but…” Alfred paused, Arthur taking that second to think on what he’d said. He’d never realized Alfred had wanted to go back to school. Where would he want to move to? He’d been wondering if being with Alfred would mean moving to the States and living on this farm. “I don’t want ya thinkin’ ya gotta give up anythin’ to be with me Artie.”

Alfred looked down at Arthur, meeting his eyes as he said the words. “If ya want me to move to England with ya then I’ll look at schools there. It’s whatever ya want I just don’t think I can stand to be separated from ya for so long.”

“I don’t think I can either,” Arthur admitted openly. “It’s going to be hard returning to England after this. I’m- I’ll miss you so much.”

“I will too. I promise to message ya every day.”

Arthur smiled a bit and Alfred leaned down to kiss him again. “We’ll be together soon. I’m plannin’ on comin’ to England Artie, just ya wait. I’ll be one of them tourists makin’ ya take me ‘round to all the sights.”

Arthur laughed softly. “Of course,” he murmured. “Peter would love to meet you… I’m sure my family will like you as well. Oh where will you stay? We don’t have any spare bedrooms.”

“Figured I could just sleep with ya Artie,” Alfred said with a grin and a wink. Arthur’s blush came too quickly and he could see Alfred chuckling because of it. Alfred kissed him on the nose before leaning back. “Why don’t we get ya inside now for a proper breakfast?” Alfred said, moving to open his door.

“Wait b-but your family…”

“What about ‘em?”

“Do… do they hate me now?” Arthur asked smally, unsurely.

“Why would they hate ya?” Alfred didn’t wait for Arthur to respond before hopping down out of the truck. He walked over to Arthur’s side, opening the door for him. “They ain’t ever gonna hate ya. I ain’t gonna let them.” He reached up and scooped Arthur out of the truck. Instead of setting him down though he kept him cradled in his arms, carrying him bridal style to the house after shutting the truck door. “They know we was both in the wrong but Ma loves ya to death like one of her own. Mattie and Pa love ya too in their own ways. Mattie was real excited that ya didn’t just ignore her. She was kinda worried ya wouldn’t really want to talk to anyone but me in the beginning.”

“Really?” Arthur asked, surprised at that. He loved Mattie too and wouldn’t think ever to ignore her.

“Well she don’t think that no more but yeah…” Alfred shifted Arthur just so he could open the door without hitting him. “Now ya’ll gotta stop your worrying ya hear,” he commanded, despite there still being a soft smile on his face.

“Yes sir,” Mattie said from further down the hallway, smile on her face. Jas stepped into the doorway of the kitchen, peeking around to look at Alfred and Arthur.

“Should I get breakfast going now?” she asked.

Alfred nodded. “Me and Artie here are starvin’,” he said.

Arthur flushed a bit and nodded, still feeling like he should apologize but knowing he would probably get scolded if he did. “Yes please,” he added, Jas smiling softly at the two of them before disappearing off into the kitchen again.

“Now where were we?” Alfred asked. “Ah right.” He carried Arthur up the stairs but instead brought him into his bedroom instead of Arthur’s. He set him on the bed, letting go of him once he was settled, then moved across the room. “There’s something I wanna show ya.”


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. 
> 
> Thank you everyone who had supported me to write this before and all the comments I had gotten to keep me going.
> 
> And a side note, while this is completed and the last chapter I actually started a sequel. So far, there's only one chapter to the sequel so if you're interested you can check it out on my fanfiction blog on tumblr. Perhaps when it's completed I'll post it over here too.
> 
> http://bluesfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/167373158845/welcome-home-1
> 
> Thank you!

Alfred picked up an orb, something Arthur had seen in Alfred’s room before, but he still didn’t know what it was. He sat down with it, pulling out stuff from a drawer. A tray slid out of the device and Alfred slid a small disc into it. Arthur curiously watched, wondering if he should wait to find out what it was or ask right away.

“Ya look confused,” Alfred chuckled.

“Well… I’m wondering if this is something dangerous or…”

Alfred laughed more. “Shouldn’t ya know what this is? You’re the one who bought it for me for Christmas.”

Arthur wracked his brain trying to remember when he would ever buy Alfred a doomsday device for Christmas and allow him to set it up in his bedroom. Then it clicked.

“Oh! That’s what it looks like?” he asked, appalled. The device was certainly not what it had looked like online when Arthur had purchased it. Perhaps he should have gone through a more reputable site. Of course, the more popular brands and websites were considerably more expensive, something Arthur couldn’t easily afford. “It works?”

Alfred gave him a look. “Did ya expect it not to?”

“W-well… No but… do you like it? I mean… was it an okay gift? Oh I feel so lame giving it to you.”

“No what? Artie you’re crazy I told ya that I loved it. That’s why I wanted ya to get to see it too.”

After Alfred had it set up he brought it over and set it next to the bed, aiming it at the ceiling. He then drew the curtains closed, the light in the room disappearing. Arthur looked around the darkened room, not that it would do him much good. His eyes strained, feeling the bed sink some when Alfred sat down next to him.

“I bought darker curtains that blocked the light so I could still use it in the day ya know,” Alfred said, fiddling with it for a second before light and stars filled the bedroom. Constellations from a night sky shown on the ceiling, almost twinkling in the dark of the room. It reminded Arthur of the time in the truck bed. “Lay back with me Artie,” Alfred murmured, close to him. Arthur shivered and let Alfred guide him back wrapping an arm under his shoulders. Arthur shifted closer and the two of them settled for a moment before returning their gaze up to the sky.

“It’s really pretty,” Arthur murmured.

“Mhmm… There are other disc sets with different scenes and constellations, but this one’s my favorite. It feels like we’re closer. Right up there in all that space and sky.”

Arthur could imagine it.

“It’s cheesy but… I really liked this ‘cause… I know this isn’t the real night sky I’d see if I walked out into my yard tonight but… gosh it’s just as pretty and amazing. And… I always liked to think that it was really cool to get to talk to you online but… It just doesn’t compare to the real thing. Not the same thing like campin’ out under the stars or actually getting to hug ya Artie. But it’s just as beautiful in it’s own way. I always thought even if we weren’t together, well, talking to ya online was the best we had and I ain’t wanna forget that. It wasn’t the same but it was definitely somethin’,” Alfred said, voice gentle.

It made Arthur’s heart ache to know that soon they’d have to go back to those online chats. And how would they feel now knowing what being by each other’s side really truly felt like? He gently sought out Alfred’s other hand and took it in his, holding it and trying to keep back the wetness in his eyes. He knew that Alfred sensed the change in his scent and he felt the alpha bring him in closer, nosing into his hair. They stayed like that, curled on Alfred’s bed, letting the stars shine above them.

On the morning that Arthur was to leave, Alfred got him from his bed, helping him sleepily navigate the staircase. It was still very dark, no one else awake, so they had to be quiet. Alfred whispered for Arthur to head out to the trucks and he would go grab some extra blankets for them to lay on. Arthur nodded and waited by the truck until Alfred joined him.

They drove down the familiar path, Alfred going carefully slow.

“Hope we don’t miss it,” Alfred murmured, seemingly more to himself. “Thought I gave us plenty of time.”

“I’m sure we won’t.”

“I promised I’d show ya.”

“I don’t think you really promised,” Arthur said, glancing over at the alpha. “But I won’t be too disheartened if you can’t keep all your promises.” He smiled and patted Alfred’s arm before wrapping himself back up in his sweater. It was the coldest morning since he’d been there. He accounted it for the fact that he and Alfred were up even before the sun. Perhaps it was a parting gift from the hot south, now at a more manageable temperature that didn’t try to melt Arthur to death. He was glad Alfred had decided to grab extra blankets though.

They parked the truck on the hill he’d taken Arthur too before, and got settled in the back just in time. Wrapped up together they watched the first sliver of red and orange, that fiery introduction of the sun illuminating the first bits of the sky they could see. Arthur could make out a puff of cloud in the new morning light. It was like hands had closed around their world and they were just now unfolding. The orange and red only grew stronger and stronger until it slipped into yellows and whites, bringing forth the silhouettes of mountains in the distance. It was no longer just the sky being brought to day, the land was touched and kissed too.

It was like a scene straight out of a movie, Arthur thought to himself. The world blushed with pink and deepened with gold, rays now breaking out across the sky and the earth. Arthur and Alfred were quiet as they watched. Their eyes followed the path of the sun as it rose. It seemed to go by so quickly, as compared to how slowly everything else seemed to change.

Arthur blinked tiredly, not minding to have been woken up so early for this. It had been worth it, and if need be, he would sleep on the plane. They didn’t make any movements to try to speak or leave and Arthur found himself drifting off against Alfred’s side. He supposed Alfred’s thoughts had been the same as his. Maybe if they were still the world would pass them by and leave them to one another. Maybe if they were still and held their breath they could maybe, just maybe stop time.

At noon on the day Arthur was to leave, Alfred’s mother prepared her final lunch, nearly in tears as she flustered over Arthur. It didn’t help either to see Mattie get glossy eyed, and felt his own come to him quickly too. He was weak to such emotional times and he was truly going to miss all of them. They ate together, Mattie letting Arthur know she would help him pack up anything else if he needed her assistance. Jas looked around the house for anything she could offer to Arthur to take home, also trying to pack him food as well. He knew it was strange, but a big part of him didn’t feel that any of this was real. He felt instead as if he were merely going on a trip and would return to them with hugs and souvenirs. He felt as if he knew the time they would be apart and would happily return to all of them soon enough. 

But that wasn’t the case, and Arthur was reminded of that every time he looked at Alfred. Blue eyes not as bright but still as beautiful. Alfred looked sad, which wasn’t a look he usually wore. Arthur didn’t have the strength to say anything to him yet, knowing he would break down if he tried. He was already expecting water works. Both leaving the farm and getting on the plane, and when he got back in England.

“Be sure you have your passport in an accessible place but not too easy for others to steal-”

“Mom he’s been on a plane before he knows how to do this,” Mattie said, rolling her eyes.

“Still I don’t want anything happening to the poor dear…”

“The more ya worry Jas the more it’s gonna make Arthur nervous,” Ben said, stepping over to her and pulling her into a hug. He set out to soothe and calm her, Arthur silently thanking him. He had been slowly getting worked up. Alfred was currently getting Arthur’s suitcase down the stairs and so Arthur couldn’t go to him yet to calm himself down. He wished more than anything he could take Alfred right onto the plane with him. If he had the money and space to spare there was no doubt he would. However, it wasn’t like he could just kidnap Alfred back to England, not keep him there either. Alfred needed to be around for his father for now and they needed to really discuss where and how things were going to go from here.

He got lost in the idea of having even just a small apartment to share with the alpha. They could have a kitten and keep plants and Arthur could perhaps try to learn to cook for him… He sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy at all.

About an hour or so later on the day Arthur was to leave, everyone gathered outside to bid Arthur a goodbye. Alfred was going to be the one to drive him to the airport this time, so they would have some time in the car to talk and Alfred could see him off at the airport. Mattie had other obligations so she wasn’t able to ride with them. Arthur thanked her for being the one to pick her up from the airport in the first place. He gave her a biggest hug he had to offer.

“You should record some of your songs and send them to me,” Arthur said. “I liked listening to you play the cello.”

“Really? If you’re sure I don’t mind…”

“I’d like that,” Arthur said. “Perhaps I could attempt to play something on the guitar for you. Although I’m not as nearly as good.”

“Pft I bet you’re great. I’d love to hear you!”

They let one another go and Arthur stepped back. He was surprised when Ben hugged him, but expected it immediately from Jas. Her hug was crushing, but he didn’t mind. The tears were already there and threatening and he knew there was no way he was holding them back so he didn’t. They cried a bit and Arthur laughed at how foolish he felt, leaning back just to get one last look at her.

“M-make sure you g-get up on the p-plane and walk around a-a bit. It’s n-no good t-to sit for so l-long,” she said with a hiccup. She kissed Arthur’s cheek.

“I promise,” he responded, kissing her on the cheek as well. He hugged her one last time, hearing Mattie make a comment about how if Alfred didn’t watch out then Jas was going to kidnap Arthur to be her new son. Arthur wasn’t opposed however he didn’t think his own mother and family would be too happy. It was a shame they lived so far away. He would have loved for Jas and his own mother to meet. He would have loved to have both families having dinner together, living close to one another, not having a giant ocean separating them. 

“It’s a sh-shame your f-flight leaves so late,” Jas said, shaking her head, hands wiping at her eyes. She took a deep breath to calm herself before trying to speak again, Ben resting a hand on her lower back and kissing her forehead. “Is there going to be someone there at the airport to pick you up?”

“My family will be there,” Arthur said. Even though it would be early in the morning, everyone had promised to drag themselves out of bed to meet him at the airport. He wondered how Peter would fare with something like that. He imagined Peter wouldn’t let them not bring him along, even if he was asleep on his feet.

It took a great amount of effort for Arthur to say goodbyes to everyone, feeling as if one or two just wasn’t enough. Every time he thought to pull away out of a hug he just wanted to actually hold on even longer and tighter. “Thank you so much for letting me stay in your home and for all you’ve done,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut and sniffing. Jas pulled away, looking like she was ready to cry all over again.

“Thank you for coming here sweetie. You’re free to come back any time you want to.”

Arthur nodded, stepping away. Alfred offered his hand and led Arthur over to the truck, helping him up into the passenger seat. He’d already loaded Arthur’s bags in the backseat. Arthur buckled himself as Alfred started the car. He glanced up to see Alfred’s family waving to him and it brought the sweet sting of tears to his eyes, waving back to them until they were out of the driveway and down the road and he could no longer see them anymore.

At the airport parking garage on the day Arthur was to leave, he and Alfred sat in his truck, keys out of the ignition, headlights turned off. The sounds of suitcases being pulled echoed from around the truck. A plane took off in the distance.

He didn’t know who reached first but they were suddenly tangled up together, arms and hands grabbing onto whatever they could hold. Alfred had said something about getting the bags but instead of reaching back he’d reached for Arthur. Arthur had lied and said he was going to get out of the truck now but instead he’d reached for Alfred. They both knew they wouldn’t have the same amount of privacy once in the airport. Arthur took a deep breath, letting out a sob against the side of Alfred’s neck. He could hear Alfred trying to calm and shush him but all the reluctance and sadness he’d held inside about having to leave now was pouring out. “I don’t w-want to leave you Alfred y-”

“Artie it’s okay I’m going to come visit as soon as I can. The days will pass by so quickly ya won’t even realize it. And soon you’ll be at an airport waitin’ for me-”

“It just w-wasn’t enough time here I-I’ve- with you and your family I’ve g-grown so close a-and now this place feels like a-”

“I know how ya feel Artie when I’m with ya it feels like I’m-”

“-home,” Arthur sobbed. He was vaguely aware of Alfred picking up him and moving him onto his lap, wrapping his arms around him and holding him as close as he could. A tremble passed between the two of them and Arthur reached up to cup Alfred’s face, getting a good long look at the blue eyes, the way his glasses rested on his nose, or the one strand of hair that always stuck up.

He couldn’t help but make a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, still crying but finding himself thinking how embarrassing and pathetic he was acting. “I feel as if I’ll never see you again…”

“It feels like that don’t it?” Alfred said, smiling just a bit. “Geez…” Alfred cupped the back of Arthur’s head and pulled him right up into a kiss. They didn’t part until the sound of someone dropping their bag made them break the kiss in surprise. Arthur let out a breathy laugh as Alfred now kissed his cheek and his jaw. His lips moved down and Arthur pushed at him.

“We’re in public-”

“I wanna scent ya,” Alfred pouted. “You’re gonna go back to England and I don’t want other alphas looking at ya when I’m not around to-”

“You do realize my family will be able to smell the scent mark too. My brothers will tease me mercilessly. Besides Alfred, I don’t want anyone else but you.”

Alfred sighed. “I ain’t gonna be too happy though knowin’ other alphas get to see ya bein’ all cute.”

Arthur flushed. “Shall I wear a hood then? Would that appease you?”

“Hmm… I think it’d better if ya wore one of ‘em ghost costumes.”

“Ghost costume? Really?” Arthur raised an eyebrow at him before rolling his eyes. “We should head in or else you’re going to make me miss my flight. I still have to get my bags checked and go through security.”

“What’ll your family think if I just keep ya here in America hm?” Alfred said, even though he let Arthur crawl off of him and back into his own seat.

“I’m pretty sure my family will come after you. Peter especially.”

“I’ll welcome your family too. Ya can all stay with us so long as I get to keep ya.”

“I don’t think we’d all fit,” Arthur laughed, opening his door and sliding out, proud of himself for now getting in and out of the giant truck without any assistance. He circled the car, watching Alfred now pull his suitcases out and set them on the ground.

“Sure ya would. Your parents could have the guest room, uh, your brothers can share the loft, and ya can sleep with me.” He closed the door and locked the truck, grinning at Arthur.

Arthur rolled his eyes and got one of the suitcases, dragging it along as Alfred got the other. “Right. That’ll work great. No one will have any complaints.”

Alfred chuckled. “Good.”

Together they walked out of the parking garage, taking an elevator down to the main level and then rolling their way up to check Arthur’s bags. He’d already printed his ticket the night before at Alfred’s so he didn’t have to bother with that. Once that was taken care of they walked over towards the security line, maybe going slower than normal.

All jokes and teasing aside, Arthur was hit with the realization that once he got in line and got through there was no more Alfred. He couldn’t come with him and would have to remain on this side.

He turned to Alfred just as Alfred cupped his face with both of his hands. Alfred leaned down to press his forehead to Arthur’s. “We’ve done this long distance before Artie, remember that.”

Arthur nodded, feeling all teary again.

“And don’t ya forget that soon I’m gonna find us a place to live together and we won’t have to be apart anymore.”

“I know but… I’m going to miss you so much. I’m going to miss you and Mattie and Jas and Ben, and your house, the horses, and the kittens. I’m going to miss what I’ve seen of America and it’s h-hard…”

“I know it is baby it’s hard for me too.” Alfred pressed a long kiss to Arthur’s forehead, Arthur squeezing his eyes shut and took in what he could of Alfred’s scent. He was trying to remember everything he could about it, and keep it with him. “I packed a little something extra in your suitcase Artie. Ya can look at it when ya get home and think of me okay?”

“You did? What is it?”

Alfred nodded and pulled away. “A surprise. Can’t give it away now can I?”

“That’s not fair I don’t have anything for you.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it Artie. Your gift was comin’ all the way from England to me. Ya ain’t know how much that means to me. I love ya so much.”

“Anything for you Alfred. I love you so much I’d fly right back if I could.”

“I know ya would,” Alfred smiled, kissing him one last time, a soft and sweet kiss.

It took every bit of strength Arthur had in his body to step away from Alfred, pull his hands away, although they lingered for one last touch. “I have to go now…” he said, knowing if he pushed it off any longer there was a good chance he would miss his flight. His family wouldn’t be too happy with him if that happened. He began to turn, eyes not leaving Alfred’s.

“Goodbye Alfred.”

“Goodbye Artie,” he said softly, raising a hand to wave. Arthur made himself walk over to the line, told himself he couldn’t look back because if he did then he would never want to leave. He remembered how nervous he’d been coming to this country. Wondering what Alfred and his family would think of him, wondering if they would hate him or how things would turn out. Being scared to be rejected. But now that he knew that wasn’t the case he was only sad to leave them. This family he’d come to love and had grown close to by coming here. He felt he was leaving bits and pieces of himself behind with Alfred, and found an ache in his chest that wouldn’t go away. Not even when he handed his passport and ticket to the officer, or when he went through the metal detectors, did that ache lessen. And when he turned to see Alfred still standing where he left him, still waving, the ache only grew heavier on him.

He saw Alfred raise his hands to his mouth when he caught Arthur’s attention. “I love ya Artie!” he yelled loudly, smiling at him even though he’d drawn the attention of many others. Arthur flushed, feeling embarrassed to have eyes on him. He pushed that shyness aside to raise his own hands.

“I love you too!!!” 

The End~


End file.
